Finally Fulfilled
by Fictionsforfans
Summary: All Spencer Reid wants is a child of his own. When he makes the decision of adopting a six year old girl, a whole new journey is ahead of him. Follow Spencer and his daughter, Lily, through all the adventures that life has to offer.
1. Adoption

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. I'm just a big fan!**

Spencer tapped his hand on the side of his trousers for what seemed like the thousandth time today, as the waited for the elevator doors to open to the 6th floor. He had something important to tell his team, and he wasn't sure how they would take the news.

"Hi Spence," greeted JJ, once the elevator doors opened. "Have a good weekend?"

"Yes, it was fine."

JJ took note of Spencer's quiet tone. Usually the genius profiler was bursting at the seams to tell JJ what new intellectual adventure he went on over the weekend, but now he only said four words to her. Something was definitely going on in that big mind of his.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your time off because we have a new case." JJ held up a stack of manila files for emphasis.

Spencer headed over to the round table and took a seat in his usual spot. One by one, the other members of his team filed in and took their respective seats, still chatting with one another over how they spent their weekend.

"Let's get started please," ordered Aaron Hotchner, dressed in his usual suit and tie.

"Actually, while we are all gathered here, I have a quick announcement to make," said Spencer, while all the eyes of his teammates met his. It would be better just to say his news now and get it over with, rather than beat around the bush to it. "I have been looking into adoption and I need a letter of recommendation from someone who knows me well. It just needs to say that I am a fit parent."

"Wow, Reid, that's fantastic! Our kid is going to get a kid!" said Derek, one of Spencer's best friends and confidantes.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" squealed Garcia, her blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders. "I get another baby to spoil silly!"

"Congrats Reid," started Rossi, "but doesn't the adoption process take over a year to complete?"

"Well yes, but I've already started the process a year ago. Social Services says they have a child ready for me but they need the letter in order to finalize the process."

"Spence, have you really been looking into adopting for a year?" JJ's face looked hurt. "We could have helped you."

"I know you would have," said Spencer. "But this was something that I wanted to keep private until I was sure that it would happen. I hope you will understand my decision."

"I think it's a great idea for you to adopt, but I have to ask, where did the idea come from?" asked Hotch.

"I've been wanting children for a while now, and after Maeve, I don't think I will get to have children of my own. This wasn't a descion that I made lightly. I have been thinking a lot about this and I am confident that I want a child of my own. There are a lot of good kids out there that need a home and I think that I will be able to give them one."

"You still can have children of your own," said Alex Blake. "There's still time for you."

Spencer merely shrugged.

"I speak for everyone when I say that I am very happy about your choice and I would love to write a letter for you, but I'm afraid that it will have wait until this case is completed," said Hotch, and opened his case file as a hint to the others that they should do the same.

XXXXXX

Spencer headed up the steps and walked into the adoption agency, with Hotch's letter tucked inside his messenger bag. He had kept his promise and wrote Spencer a beautiful letter that would surely be accepted by the social worker. The letter was all about Spencer's dedicated service to the FBI, how hard of a worker he was, and how he was perfectly fit to be a parent. Spencer could tell that he had spent a decent amount of time composing it perfectly.

"I am Dr. Spencer Reid, I have an appointment with Nancy Burke," said Spencer, to the receptionist at the agency.

"She's been expecting your appointment," answered the receptionist. "Her office is down this hallway and the last one on the right."

Spencer thanked her and followed her directions to find Mrs. Burke typing feverishly on her laptop.

"Hello Dr. Reid," she greeted, and stopped what she was doing. "How have you been?"

"Fine, thank you. I have that letter that you requested." Spencer set it down on her desk so she could have a look.

"Excellent." Mrs. Burke put on her reading glasses and scanned it. "This will work just fine." She put the letter in Spencer's file. "Now that that requirement is out of the way, I believe you are ready to legally adopt a child."

Spencer felt his heart swell. He has been waiting to hear those words ever since he started this process.

"Do you remember the child that we talked about last time you visited? Lily Anderson?" said Mrs. Burke.

"Yes, of course." Spencer thought back to the child that Mrs. Burke thought was a perfect match for him. Lily was a six year old girl, whose parents died in a car accident and was placed into foster care. She had long, brown hair, big blue eyes, and tiny dimples in her cheeks. Spencer had to admit, she was absolutely adorable.

Spencer had met her once when Mrs. Burke took him to the foster home she was staying at. She was really shy at first, but warmed up to him after an hour. He noticed that Mrs. Burke smiled at his interactions with Lily, and took note of how he made her laugh.

"If it is okay with you, I would really like Lily Anderson to be placed in your care. Her foster parents told me how she couldn't stop talking about you after you left, and from what I saw, she took very nicely to you. The couple that is looking after her told me that they can't watch her for much longer. She needs to be placed permanently with someone and I think you are that person."

"Thank you, thank you so much," sputtered Spencer. He was so excited that he found himself tripping over his words.

"I have one last thing I need to confirm with you before I place Lily under your care," said Mrs. Burke. "Do you still have someone to care for Lily when you're away on your cases?"

"Yes, I do." The hardest thing about the adoption process was finding someone who was willing to watch his child when he went away. He had no family that was capable of doing it, and all of his close friends were his teammates. Luckily for him, he had an elderly neighbor that was more than eager to watch his child. Mrs. Johnson had lived across the hallway from him for twelve years and nineteen days, and was always good to him. She knew that Spencer was often away for days at a time, and she would keep an eye on his apartment for him. Spencer was good to her too, and would bring her groceries when she was too weak to leave her house, and would spend an afternoon talking with her when she got lonely. Spencer knew that all of her grandchildren lived out of state, and when asked, did not mind watching his future child while he was gone. "Mrs. Johnson is still willing to watch Lily while I am gone."

"Good," said Mrs. Burke. She had to meet Mrs. Johnson before the adoption process could go through. Thankfully, she was approved.

"Well, Dr. Reid," Mrs. Burke continued. "I believe I am ready to place Lily Anderson permanently in your care. Congratulations, you are now a father."

XXXXXX

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter! I had this idea based on the conversation that JJ and Spencer had in the first episode of the ninth season, when he said that he would have had kids if Maeve didn't die. I think Spencer would be such a great father too. Please review and let me know what you think of my idea!


	2. Lily's Home

After a long week solving a case in Philadelphia, Spencer was glad to be home and have the weekend off. This weekend was especially important to him because he would be bringing Lily home permanently. When he got home, he cleaned his whole apartment, went grocery shopping, and set up the bedroom where Lily would sleep. It was plain for now, but he figured that he could take her shopping and pick out what colors she wanted.

The next morning, Spencer met Mrs. Burke outside the foster home where Lily was staying. He was a little nervous about the reaction that Lily would have, but he was mostly excited. He has been waiting a long time to have a child that he could call his own.

"Good morning Dr. Reid," said Mrs. Burke, exiting her car. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Spencer followed her up the stairs and watched as she rang the doorbell. Spencer heard the shuffling of feet and angry voices behind the door.

"Are you here to pick up Lily?" A woman with disheveled blonde hair opened the door just a crack, so she could see who was on the porch. Spencer remembered that her name was Maureen Benson. She had been taking care of Lily while she was waiting to be adopted. If Spencer didn't adopt her, she would have been placed in an orphanage.

"Yes," answered Mrs. Burke, pushing the door open. "This is Dr. Reid. He's permanently adopting Lily."

"Oh, good," said Mrs. Benson. "Her bag is all packed and ready."

Spencer noticed how messy her house was. She was watching more children than Lily, and three rowdy boys ran rampant throughout the house. One of them broke a lamp on an end table.

"Boys! Stop running!" said the woman, but it was no use. "Lily, get over here and say goodbye to me!"

Lily appeared from another room, and ran right to Spencer, much to her foster mother's dismay.

"Spencer!" Lily wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. "Can I go home with you now? Forever?"

"Yes, you're going to live with me now." Spencer returned the hug.

"Do I get a goodbye?" said Lily's foster parent.

Lily let go of Spencer begrudgingly and embraced her in a short hug, then picked up her duffel bag.

"Ok, I'm ready!" exclaimed Lily, and walked outside with Spencer. He could tell that she was eager to get out of that house. He took the duffel bag out of her hands and frowned at how light it was. She couldn't have more than a few tee shirts and pants inside.

Mrs. Burke came out of the house, holding a file in her hand. "Ok, these are the legal adoption papers. I suggest you put them in a safe place. I will arrange for meetings to check on Lily from time to time, and over time the frequency of these meeting will lessen until I will stop coming all together. But for now, congratulations. Lily is all yours." She shook Spencer's hand and waved goodbye to Lily, and left.

Both Lily and Spencer smiled.

XXXXXX

"Ok, this is it." Spencer opened the door to his apartment. "It's small, but it's cozy."

"I like it. It's a lot nicer than Mrs. Benson's house. I didn't like it over there too much," said Lily. "Wow, you have a lot of books!" She ran over to the shelves and pulled out one. "This is heavy," she giggled.

"I love books," said Spencer, with a smile on his face. "Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

Lily nodded.

"This is my bedroom, down the hall is yours, that's the bathroom and this is the kitchen," said Spencer, taking her into each room. "I'm afraid it's not very big, but we'll fit. Would you like some lunch?"

"Yes, please." Lily took a seat at the kitchen table. "Could I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

"Coming right up." Spencer smiled. He wasn't the best chef around, but he could make a few decent meals. He taught himself how to cook after his Mom got sick, and he could definitely make a sandwich.

"Here you go." Spencer set the sandwich down and took a seat opposite her. "Would you mind if we talked a little bit?"

When Lily nodded, Spencer continued. "Could you tell me about your foster family?"

"The mom was okay. She was nice, but I never got to eat that much because those boys would take everything. They never left me anything."

"That's okay," said Spencer. "Because now you can have any food you want. You can help yourself to anything I have here." Lily smiled at that. "Now," continued Spencer, "In that bag that you brought, is that all the clothes you have?"

Lily shook her head yes. She looked a little embarrassed in her answer, which Spencer picked up on. "We could go and get you more, if you like," Spencer said. "And I know your room is plain, but I thought I could take you shopping for some things that you like, you know, since you'll be living here."

"I'd like that the a lot, but first I have a question for you." Lily grinned, which perked Spencer's interest. "Why do people call you Dr. Reid, if you told me you work with the police?"

"I finished a lot years of school and I got special degrees that means that people can call me Dr." Spencer wasn't used to dumbing down his speech, so this would be a new experience for him. "But I'm not like a doctor who helps you when you get sick."

"I remember you work for the police, and you travel a lot," said Lily.

"I do travel a lot, but I took two weeks off to spend with you. It will be just you and me for two weeks. We can do whatever you want." Spencer had so many vacation days saved up that he requested to Hotch that he take two weeks to get Lily settled in to her new life. Hotch had agreed that it was a good idea, and accepted his time off.

"Wow, I couldn't pick what I wanted to do since my Mom and Dad died." Lily had finished her sandwich and pushed her plate away.

"Well, that brings me to my next point," said Spencer, ignoring what Lily had said about her biological parents. He figured he would cross that bridge later. "You don't have to call me Dad if you don't want to yet. My first name is Spencer, you can call me that, or one of my friends call me Spence. My other friends call me Reid, which is my last name. Or you can even call me Dr. Reid. I don't really care." Spencer noticed he was rambling and stopped.

"I like Spencer for now," said Lily.

"I like that too."

XXXXXX

The first night with Lily went as well as could be expected. They spent the first few hours talking and bonding with one another. Spencer told her about some of his childhood (the good stories), a little bit about his job (minus the violence), and about his amazing friends. Lily was reluctant to tell him personal stuff about her, but then she started to open up. She told him a little bit about her life with her parents and some stories about her foster parents. Spencer got the sense that her foster parents didn't treat her the way she deserved.

After that, Spencer had made the two of them a dinner of pasta, which Lily ate a lot of. She looked at all of his books, watched a children's show on TV, then Spencer put her to bed.

"Can we go shopping tomorrow?" Lily asked. "This room is too plain. It needs more pink!"

"Of course," said Spencer, pulling up the blanket to her chin. "If you need anything in the night, come and get me. I'm in the other bedroom down the hall."

"Ok. Goodnight Spencer."

"Goodnight Lily."


	3. Meeting the Team

The night with Lily had went off without a hitch. She slept soundly throughout the night, and got a full nine hours and twenty one minutes in, as Spencer calculated. He sensed that she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. He was busy pouring a bowl of cereal for Lily when his phone rang.

"Hey pretty boy," Spencer could recognize Derek's smooth voice anywhere. "How are you two doing?"

"She's settling in really nicely. She's eating okay and she slept well last night. I think we're going to get along well. I'm taking her shopping today to get some clothes and decorations for her room. She hasn't had any space of her own in some time and I can tell that she's excited."

"Is there any chance you guys could swing by the BAU? The whole team is dying to meet this little lady." Derek asked.

"Let me see," said Spencer. "I don't want her to feel overwhelmed." He set the phone down on the counter and turned to Lily, who was half way through her bowl of cereal.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked.

"One of my friends from where I work. They want us to stop by before we go shopping. All of my friends really want to meet you, but that's okay if you're not up to it. I won't pressure you to do anything that you don't want to. If you don't want to go, just tell me."

"No, I want to go."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Ok, Morgan," Spencer said back into his cell phone. "We'll be there around noon. See you then."

Lily put her bowl of cereal in the sink and went to her bedroom to change out of her pajamas. She didn't have very many clothes, and she was glad that Spencer agreed to take her shopping. No one had taken her shopping since her parents died.

When the pair walked into the BAU, he noticed that the whole team was rounded up in the bullpen _. I bet Derek told Penelope and she gathered everyone here,_ thought Spencer.

"Hey everyone," greeted Spencer. "I would like you to meet someone very special to me. This is Lily."

"Hi Lily! I'm Penelope," she squealed with excitement. "Oh she is just precious! She's like a little, beautiful china doll. I could just play dress up with her all day!"

Lily instinctively reached for Spencer's hand and stepped behind him so she wasn't as visible to the group of people she didn't know. She was shy around new people. It took her awhile for her to warm up to people, but she was taking a liking to Penelope already. She wanted to tell her something, but she was too shy to say it out loud, so she gestured Spencer down to whisper it to him.

"Lily said that she likes your outfit," said Spencer to Penelope, which made her smile. She had on a bright blue and yellow sweater with big sunflowers on the sides, and a similar pencil skirt. She had on blue eyeshadow and a sunflower clip in her hair to match everything. A typical Penelope outfit.

"If you like what I'm wearing, then you should see my office," Penelope said, smiling. "I have all kinds of girly stuff in there."

After all the introductions were made, Lily had warmed up to the team a little more. Spencer could tell that she liked the softer sides of JJ and Alex, and had smiled at some corny joke Derek had made. Rossi had invited them over for a pasta dinner on Sunday and even Hotch had smiled. Spencer always figured that Hotch had a soft spot for the team's children.

"Can I go see Penelope's office please?" Lily asked Spencer.

"If she doesn't mind showing it to you," he said.

"Of course I don't mind," answered Penelope. "You'll love it. It's like my personal bat cave."

Spencer watched as the two of them headed down the hallway to the tech analysis's office. He was glad that she felt comfortable around someone that wasn't him.

"She's looks like a wonderful little girl Spence," said JJ, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I'm really happy for you."

"Lily's a very lucky girl to have you as a dad," said Alex, her face sincere. Her saying that to Spencer meant a lot to him. It was a generous compliment.

"Yeah, she's a real cute kid," pitched in Derek. "You're going to be a real good dad."

"Thanks guys, that's really nice of you to say," said Spencer. They sat around for a few minutes, just talking. Usually Hotch was a stickler for working hard, but he didn't mind taking time out of his busy day for a little conversation. Spencer noticed that he was smiling and looked genuinely engaged.

Lily and Penelope came back from her office, both talking to each other. Lily headed over to Spencer and gave him a hug around the waist. "Her office was so cool!" exclaimed Lily. "I loved the flowers lights that she has. I want my room to look like that. Oh, and look what she gave me! She guessed that pink was my favorite color." Lily held up a hot pink sparkly pen that lit up when you clicked it.

"That looks pretty cool Lily. Can you thank her for showing you her office and the pen?"

"Thank you Miss Penelope," Lily said.

"No problem sweets."

"Alright everyone, we have to get going," said Spencer. "We are going shopping."

"Sounds like you two have a fun day ahead of you," said JJ. "I wish I could come with to get some new clothes. All the boys in my house never want to go with me."

"Can I count you two in for pasta night on Sunday?" asked Rossi. Spencer looked at Lily to see if she was up to it, and when she nodded, he confirmed.

"We'll see you then," said Alex. "Have fun you two."

The two of them walked out of the BAU, and it didn't take a profiler to notice how Lily's small hand slipped into Spencer's.


	4. Nightmares

Lily had a really fun day at the mall, and it had worn her out, but not because she was tired. She was tired emotionally. Spencer knew that being in places with a lot of people was not one of her favorite things, but she had pushed through and he was very proud of her for doing that. She had stuck close to him the whole day, but still managed to get some stuff that she really liked. Spencer had been so kind as to buy her whatever clothes caught her eye. She ended up getting four stuffed bags full of clothes and a few pretty things to make her bedroom the way she wanted. Pink was her favorite color, so she picked out a soft, warm comforter for her bed and a few books that she liked. Spencer had no problem buying her books, or anything for that matter.

"I really liked your friends Spencer," said Lily, from the backseat of the car. "Especially Miss Penelope, she was nice."

"I'm glad you liked my friends," said Spencer. "Actually they're more like family to me. They are some of the best people I know."

"How long have you been friends with all of them?"

"Well, Derek is person I've known the longest, which is eleven years and one hundred seventeen days. But I've known the others for about eight to ten years."

"That's a really long time," said Lily. "That's older than me!"

Spencer pulled his car into the apartment complex's parking garage and helped Lily carry up her shopping bags to his apartment. They were too heavy for her to carry by herself. Once in their apartment, Lily took the bags into her room and laid out all her clothes on her bed to look at again. Feeling very grateful, she embraced Spencer in another tight hug.

"Thank you so much Spencer," she said.

"You don't have to keep thanking me Lily. I'm happy to do it. Now, would you like some dinner?"

"Yes please."

Spencer whipped them up some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, one of his favorite comfort foods when he was a kid. Lily enjoyed it too.

"You're a good cook," she praised.

"Oh, you're too sweet. I'm not that good, but I can make a sandwich and open a can of soup," Spencer said, which made his daughter giggle.

After they ate, Lily had proudly put all of her clothes away in her dresser, without even having Spencer tell her do it. She joined Spencer on the couch and the both of them watched TV, until Lily fell asleep with her head on a pillow on her Dad's lap.

XXXXXX

 _The one thing that Lily could see was blood. There was so much, and it was all over her. It was hot and sticky and she wished she could wipe it off. She had to get away from here. She tried to run away, but all she could do was run in place. The cold pavement hurt her feet. Why couldn't she go anywhere? Why was she stuck in place? She managed to run away from the scene but didn't make it far before she tripped and fell into something._

 _It was two cars. One red car was smashed into the side of a silver one. There was glass everywhere. It was all over the ground and on the seats of the cars. She hurried over to the red one and saw her parents sitting in the front seat. She tried to call out to them but her voice was being strangled. She tried to help them but she couldn't. She couldn't…._

XXXXXX

Spencer was woken up by the sounds of crying. Recognizing the sound immediately, he padded down the hallway to Lily's bedroom. He had carried her to bed after she fell asleep on the couch. He thought that she would be more comfortable there than on the couch, but when he stepped into her room he saw her thrashing around on her bed. Her new blanket was on the floor and had lost her grip on her favorite teddy bear. He knew immediately that she was being affected by a nightmare.

"Lily?" Spencer gently shook her shoulder to wake her up. "You have to wake up for me. It's just a dream, Lily. Wake up now."

She stopped moving around on her bed and her eyes opened with a start. They were large and fearful and roamed the room for something that looked familiar. She still wasn't acquainted with her new bedroom. Her blue eyes met Spencer's hazel ones.

"You were having a nightmare." Spencer sat on the edge of Lily's bed and pushed some of the hair out of her eyes. "Do you remember what it was about?"

"No, not really. It was scary though."

"That's okay." Spencer accepted the tiny arms that were wrapped around his waist and noticed how much she was trembling. He wiped away some of the tears that were falling down her face. "No more tears, okay? Nightmares are scary, but luckily they don't last long. Do you want to hear a secret of mine?" When Spencer felt Lily nod against his chest, he continued. "

Sometimes I get scary nightmares too."

"You do?"

"I used to, but fortunately I haven't had one in a long time. I know how upsetting they can be." Spencer rubbed circles on his daughter's back.

"I can't go back to sleep now, 'cause I might have another bad dream."

"You won't have another bad dream. You're all dreamed out now," promised Spencer. "Do you want to know what my Mom used to do for me when I was upset?"

Lily slowly shook her head yes.

"She loves books, so she would read to me. That's where I got my love of books from. Would you like me to read to you too?"

Lily nodded, as he grabbed one of her books off of the dresser. _Charlotte's Web,_ one of the most classic children's books. He remembered that he enjoyed this book when he was little too.

Spencer opened the book and began reading and didn't stop until Lily's breathing calmed down to a steady, even pace. She seemed to find comfort in his gentle voice.

"Spencer," she interrupted. "Maybe I'll get my love of books from you, like you did from your Mom."

"I'd like that Lily." Spencer felt his heart swell with love. "I would like that a lot." He didn't stop reading until he knew that she was completely calm and could once again drift off into the peaceful world of sleep.


	5. Pasta Night

Spencer sat up on his bed and rubbed at his tired eyes. It had been a long night trying to coax Lily back to sleep, but she finally nodded off after thirty one minutes of him reading _Charlotte's Web_ out loud. He wrapped her back up in her blanket and tried to get some sleep himself. He was used to running at full speed on a few measly hours of sleep, so it wasn't that big of a deal to him.

He got up, made himself a cup of coffee, and started reading his latest book on Euclidean geometry until Lily woke up. He heard her shuffling around forty three minutes later, and joined him on the couch.

"I'm sorry I woke you up last night," said Lily.

"Come here." Spencer pulled his daughter onto his lap so he could give her a hug. "You never have to apologize for anything like that. I hope you know that. It wasn't your fault that you had a nightmare. You can't control what goes on in your mind when you're asleep, but if something is bothering you, I want you to tell me. You can tell me anything."

Lily let out a breath, then made a confession. "My dream was about my Mom and Dad. That's all I remember. I just know that they were in it and it was really scary."

"I'm sorry Lily," said Spencer. "But I hope you know that I'm not going to replace your parents. It's completely okay if you think about them and feel sad. They were an important part of your life and you don't ever have to feel bad for thinking about them. You know if you ever want to talk about them I can listen."

"I know," said Lily, who had her face buried in Spencer's shirt. "And thank you."

"You don't have to thank me Lily. I want to help you." He said, which made the little girl smile. "Do you still want to go to pasta night? I don't want to pressure you, but Mr. Rossi makes some delicious food."

"Yes."

"Okay, then we'll go."

XXXXXX

Rossi opened the door to greet his guests, with a cooking towel over his shoulder and a smile on his face.

"Come in, come in," he ushered, "The kids are playing in the basement and the adults are in the kitchen. I've got baked penne pasta and roasted vegetables coming up."

"Kids?" asked Lily, obviously confused.

"Miss JJ and her husband have a son, Henry who is six, just like you," explained Spencer. "Also Mr. Hotchner has a son too. His name is Jack, and he's a bit older, but he's still a really cool boy to play with."

"Can you take me to meet them?" Lily tightened her grip on Spencer's hand.

"Sure, but I won't stay down there the whole time." Lily would be starting school soon and Spencer couldn't be there with her every day. He understood that it was difficult for her to be in new situations without him, but on the other hand, she needed to learn how to socialize with kids her own age. Jack and Henry would be a safe start.

"Hey Spencer," said Jack, playing a hand-held video game.

"Uncle Spence!" a little blonde haired Henry launched himself into Spencer's arms. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too buddy." He ruffled his godson's blonde locks. "I have someone here that I would like you to meet. This is Lily. She is my daughter, and she is six, just like you."

"That is so cool!" exclaimed Henry. "I can have someone to play with now."

"What about me?" said Jack jokingly.

"We can all play together," reasoned Henry. "Lily, do you want to play video games with us?"

She looked at Spencer, unsure.

"Go on," he nudged. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Dinner will be ready soon, and it smells pretty good to me."

Spencer headed upstairs to socialize with his friends. Rossi was multitasking by stirring a large pot of pasta and slicing peppers, while Garcia was hovering over his shoulder asking him questions about what he was doing. He shooed her away so he could finish in a timely fashion.

JJ and Will were talking to Alex and her husband James, who was telling the others how his latest trip with Doctors Without Borders went. Spencer remembered that he had been in Haiti this time.

Hotch and Morgan were sitting at the island kitchen, having a beer and relaxing. The only time Spencer saw Hotch unwind was at a family dinner or when he was with Jack. Everyone deserved time off, especially Hotch.

"Hey Reid," Derek waved him over to where he was sitting. "How was that shopping trip with our little lady?"

"Shopping went well. She really needed new clothes. When I picked her up from her previous foster home, she only had three pants and seven shirts. I don't know how those foster parents treated her, but based off of the clothes situation, I'm assuming it wasn't up to par," said Spencer, his voice low. He knew from previous family dinners that the little kids like to sneak up on the adults to spy on them. The last thing he needed was for Lily to overhear his conversation.

"She's lucky to have a father that cares so much for her," said Hotch.

"I'm lucky to have her. I don't know what would have happened to her if she was placed into an orphanage," Spencer admitted. "Kids in there hardly get adopted. She would have been shuffled through the system until she was eighteen and no longer fit the age qualification. She wouldn't do well in there, I just know it. Lily's too sensitive to be there."

"You did a great thing Reid," Derek said.

"Alright everyone, dinner is served!" cried Rossi. The display of food looked magnificent. There was a big pot of penne pasta for the adults and another with spaghetti for the kids. A plate of roasted peppers, asparagus, and zucchini was next to three long loaves of hot, Italian bread. To top it all off, there was fresh parmesan to grate on top of the pasta and butter for the bread. For dessert, Rossi had made tiramisu and chocolate chip cookies for anyone who still had room left for something sweet.

The kids hurried up from the basement after the scents of pasta wafted down there. "Smells good Uncle Dave," said Jack, as he helped himself to a generous scoop of spaghetti.

"How did you like Henry and Jack?" asked Spencer to Lily.

"Oh, they were _so_ nice. They showed me how to play their video games. It was really fun," she said, while telling Spencer what she wanted to eat. He gave her some spaghetti, a few peppers and bread.

"How's my pasta Lily?" asked Rossi, once everyone was served and eating. "Is it better than Spencer's?"

Lily looked conflicted, but Spencer told her it was okay if she was honest, so she spoke her mind. "It's so much better," she said, which made the whole table laugh.

After dinner, those who saved room for dessert had some, then joined the others for a game of cards. Spencer had decided to sit this one out to let someone else win for a change, and opted to watch the kids play their own card games of Go Fish and Uno.

Will and JJ decided to leave first when Henry was so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open. Lily said goodbye to her new friend, and Spencer picked her up to leave too.

"Ok, we're going to go," announced Spencer. "Thank you for dinner Rossi. I'll see you guys next week."

"Thank you Mr. Rossi," said Lily.

"Anytime, honey," he said while he showed them to the door.

Spencer put Lily in her car seat and drove home. Her eyes were starting to droop with sleep. He still had time with Lily before he had to go back to work and she would start school and he wanted to make the most of the time they had together.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing my story! I am amazed at how many followers, favorites, and reviews I got in the short time I posted this. They truly give me motivation to keep writing! I have many plans for this story that I am excited for you to see. And, in response to tannerose5's comment or anyone else who was wondering, Spencer is aware of how Lily's parents died.


	6. Ruby Slippers

Lily gripped Spencer's hand tightly as they headed up the steps of the Smithsonian Museum. It had been her idea to go to the museum after she saw a billboard for it while they were driving, but now she wasn't so sure it was good idea. There were so many people here that were shuffling around the different buildings. Spencer had already been to the Smithsonian several times now, so he knew what buildings were the most crowded and others that were quieter. He knew that Lily's favorite movie was the _Wizard of Oz,_ and some pretty cool artifacts from the movie were on display here.

The two of them walked over to the National Museum of American History so he could show his daughter some items from the movie. He led her to where the famous ruby red slippers were kept behind protective glass and watched Lily's face fill with awe.

"You mean that those are the actual shoes from the movie?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

"They were _actually_ on Dorothy's feet?"

"Yes."

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen! They're so much more shiner than I thought they would be. Do you think they were made with real rubies?"

"That would be cool if they were," said Spencer. "However, they're just red sequin that someone sewed on all they back in 1939. The shoes were originally planned to have rubies on them, but they were too heavy, so instead sequins were used. 2,300 sequins per shoe to be exact. They are the most expensive movie memorabilia in the world, valuing at $3 million. In the original book Dorothy wore silver slippers, but they were changed red for the movie. There were four pairs designed for the shooting of movie, but this one on display is the one that was worn most often in the film."

"Did you read that off the sign?" Lily asked, referring to the plaque that was in front of the exhibit.

"No, I read it in a book and I remembered the facts. I have a good memory when it comes to stuff I read," Spencer said, to Lily's amazement. "And, if you these shoes are cool, what do you think of the scarecrow costume over there?"

"That's amazing! I can't believe this was really in the movie. What other stuff do they have here?"

Spencer took his daughter's hand and showed her around this museum, pointing out a fact or two for each exhibit they saw. He was really glad that she had started to ease some of her anxiety and loosen up. She pointed out artifacts that she found interesting, and asked Spencer to tell her facts about it, which he gladly did. They walked around for a few more hours looking at the different museums that the Smithsonian had to offer until Spencer noticed that Lily was getting tired.

"Are you ready to go?" Spencer asked.

"I'm having a lot of fun, but I'm kind of tired, and my feet hurt."

"I know. We can go now. I'm proud of you that you walked around this big place today." Spencer took Lily's hand and headed back to his car. He drove the two of them home and had to carry her up to his apartment because her feet were sore. He set her down on the couch and pulled a blanket over her so she could rest.

"What do you say Lily? How does pizza and a movie sound tonight?"

"It's always a yes to pizza," said Lily. "But can I pick the movie?"

"Sure," agreed Spencer. His movie collection wasn't exactly kid friendly, but there had to be something in there that Lily would find enjoyable.

"Oh good you do have it," Lily said, selecting one from the huge stack. "I'm in the mood for _The Wizard of Oz_."

"If that's what you want." Spencer pulled the pizza from the oven and served them. He started the movie for Lily and the two of them watched. Spencer continued his stream of random facts about the movie, which Lily really enjoyed. It made her smile to know that her father knew so many cool things. But when they got to the ending, when Dorothy clicks her heels three times to go home, Lily grew quiet, and Spencer picked up on that.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she started. "But do you ever wish that you had magic shoes that could take you home? Because when I was in the foster home, all I wanted to do was go back to my house with my Mom and Dad, but now that I'm with you, I don't want to go home anymore. I want to stay here with you. I love my Mommy and Daddy, but sometimes I forget that they were here. I can't remember much about them anymore. Do you think that's weird?"

"No Lily, don't ever call your feelings weird. They are completely normal. You know, my Dad left my Mom and me when I was ten, and I really don't think of him anymore," Spencer said. Unfortunately, his memory was so precise that he _couldn't_ forget anything, but if he could, all his memories from his father would be wiped away. "When he first left, I spent so many nights lying in bed wishing that he would come back, but over time, I didn't want that anymore. I hardly thought of him after that. That didn't mean that I didn't still care for him, but he wasn't in my life, so I didn't think of him as much."

"Thanks Spencer," said Lily, but her voice didn't convincing. "Where did you live before you lived here?"

"I was born in another state called Nevada, and I lived there with my Mom until I moved here for my job."

"Where does your Mom live?"

"She still lives in Nevada in a special home there. I visit her whenever I can, but it's not as often as I would like. I write her letters every day because I feel bad that I can't see her that much."

"Do you think that we could visit your Mom? I've never been to Nevada before."

"I would really like that, and I think she would too," Spencer said. He hoped his mother would like to meet Lily. He had told her that he adopted a six year old girl, and she was very happy for him, but that was one of her better days. She wasn't exactly the type of Grandma who invited you over to her house for fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and a warm hug.

"Can we go tomorrow?" Lily asked.

"Well, we would have to take a plane to get there." Spencer grabbed his atlas so he could show her the distance between the two places. "I could try to get us some tickets, but that probably won't be for a while. I have to check on how my Mom is doing first, before we can visit her."

"Oh, okay," said Lily, masking a yawn.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." Spencer picked up his daughter and carried her to bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed so Spencer could read her more of _Charlotte's Web._

When he finished the chapter they were on, he tucked her in and gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "Goodnight Lily."

"Goodnight Daddy."

 **A/N: Thank you so much to those who are reading my story. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as well. If anyone was wondering where I got the information on the ruby slippers from, it came from the Ruby Slippers Wikipedia page.**


	7. Playdate

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. The sun was shining and the autumn leaves were blowing a whirlwind of reds, oranges and yellows all around the DC area. The weather was sunny and high 60's; perfect for a day outside.

Spencer and Lily didn't have any plans today, other than a trip to the library. Lily wasn't Spencer's biologically, but she sure shared the same fondness for books. They were just about to leave when the phone ringing made them stop. He answered it, to hear JJ on the line, but the call wasn't for him. A certain little boy wanted to talk to his new friend.

"Hey Lily," Spencer called from the living room. "I have a phone call for you."

"Me?" Lily never had a call just for her before, so she rushed to the phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Henry," came the voice from the other line. "Can you come over and play today?"

"I'd love to!" She put her hand over the receiver so she could ask her Dad. "Can I play with Henry today?"

"Of course you can."

"Ok Henry, Daddy said I can," said Lily after agreement from Spencer. She handed the phone back so the two adults could finish their conversation.

The two of them headed down to Spencer's car and he drove them over to JJ's house, which wasn't too far away. He parked his car in front and was greeted by Henry and JJ, who were already outside kicking a soccer ball to each other.

"Hi Uncle Spencer, hi Lily," Henry said, with a wave. "Lily, do you want to play soccer with me?"

For the first time, Lily didn't look to Spencer for confirmation and joined her friend, while he sat with JJ on the porch.

"Beautiful day isn't it? Working for the FBI takes up so much of my time that I forgot what the sun looked like," she joked.

"Really nice. Today is probably the last warm day we have this autumn," said Spencer. "But doesn't Henry have school? And Why are you guys off on a Friday?"

"Henry had a teacher's institute day, and as for us well, ee had a really tough case in Tennessee this weekend. We left on Monday and didn't get back until late last night. It was a bad one, Spence." JJ sighed, then checked that little ears wouldn't be listening before telling the gruesome details of the case. "Ten year old boys were being kidnapped and tortured for three days before being released. There were eleven victims that we know of. Hotch had an especially difficult time with a case, so he gave us the day off. I know he will personally make sure that unsub doesn't see the light of day. Our morale was really low after that case. Just thinking about that mound of paperwork waiting for me on Monday is giving me a headache."

"I'm sorry you guys had to do that," said Spencer. "You could have called me to help."

"Oh that's okay. It's the unfortunate part of our job. Besides, you have helped the team on all of the cases. Your time off is well-earned. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"I'll be back on Monday."

"And we'll be happy to have you back. The round table was too quiet without your bits of knowledge. You know Morgan has been slipping you files all week," JJ said, then changed the topic. "Is Lily starting school soon?"

"She's starting on Monday too. We've talked about it a little bit, but she's mostly excited to go."

"And she's going to the same school that Henry goes to?"

"Yeah, that was lucky," said Spencer. "I'm so glad there are getting along so well."

JJ and Spencer watched as their two children ran around on the lawn, kicking around the soccer ball. Spencer smiled as Lily kicked the ball into the little goal that was set up. He was so thankful that she had found a friend in Henry, and now that they would be going to the same school, he hoped Lily wouldn't have any anxiety about going to Kindergarten. He would make sure that his daughter got to experience everything positive about school that he didn't.

The beep from Esther, Penelope's beloved car, snapped Spencer out of his thoughts.

"Oh, I invited Penelope over," informed JJ, then she leaned in closer to whisper something to Spencer. "She had a rough week too. Sometimes we forget that she's the one who has to sift through all the other bad guys to find the one that we're looking for."

"Miss Penelope!" said the two little kids, and they ran over to hug her, which she gratefully returned.

"After the week I've had it's so nice to have something little to squeeze," she said, joining Spencer and JJ on the porch. "You two are lucky to have those precious babies to hug every night."

"I'm definitely lucky," said Spencer, as he watched his daughter scamper around the yard, not having a worry in the world.

"Ok," said Penelope. "While we're on the topic of your sweet Lily, I bought her a little something for when she starts school." She held up the shopping bag that she brought with her and pulled out some clothes. Lily caught a glimpse of the clothes and hurried over to see what they were.

"I got her this cute jean jacket that has pink sparkles on the pockets, and this flowery tee-shirt to go under it. A little girl can never have too many clothes."

"Thank you so much!" Lily hugged Penelope around the waist. "I can't wait to wear this to school."

"Penelope, you shouldn't have," said Spencer.

"When Henry was little, she would bring him all kinds of stuff. Toys, clothes, books, you name it, she got," said JJ, which made Penelope chuckle.

"I don't have any babies of my own. I've got to spoil the ones I know, like these two." She ruffled Henry's blonde locks.

"Momma, can we have some snacks now?" asked Henry.

"You two are in luck, because I've got some lemonade and chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen that are waiting to be eaten. That is, if Mr. Will hasn't gotten to those delicious cookies yet," said JJ, and the two friends scurried into the kitchen in need of snacks after all that energy they burned.

The three adults hung around for a while longer, talking, watching the children play, and just enjoying the time spent together that wasn't in the office. A little while later, JJ was going to start dinner, and Penelope had to get home to Sergio, so it was time for the Reid's to leave as well. They said their goodbyes and headed home, and Lily was in such a good mood, until she saw a familiar face waiting outside Spencer's apartment.

 **A/N: Sorry about ending the chapter on a cliffhanger! I'm usually not one for them, but I felt this was a good place to stop. I promise I'll update as soon as I can. Once again, thank you to all who are reading, and please review!**


	8. Unexpected Visit

**A/N: How do you guys like Lily? In all the fanfiction I've never had an OC as the other main character, so please let me know how I'm doing. Plus, shout out to ahowell1993 for correctly guessing who was waiting at the door. Now, on with the story!**

"Mrs. Burke, I wasn't aware that you would be stopping by," said Spencer. If Mrs. Burke (Lily's case worker) made an appointment for a home visit, then Spencer would have remembered it for sure.

"No, I didn't make an appointment but I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by and see if you were home. Now that you are, may we go inside so I can have a look around? We'll knock out one home visit right now. I promise I won't take up much of your day."

"Yes, of course. Take as much time as you need," Spencer unlocked the door for them. His house was fine when they left it, so there was no reason that Mrs. Burke should be dissatisfied.

Spencer and Lily stood in the living room and watched as Mrs. Burke walked around the apartment writing her observations in a notepad. She entered the small kitchen and looked in the fridge and cabinets for food. The fruits and vegetables in the fridge were still fresh and there were plenty of canned foods in the pantry. There were no dirty dishes in the sink or crumbs on the counter; Spencer had made it a point to clean the kitchen before they left to go somewhere. It was no secret that he was somewhat of a neat freak.

"What is she doing here?" Lily whispered. "I never wanted to see her again."

"She just wants to make sure you're okay," Spencer whispered back. "She'll be gone soon."

Mrs. Burke went into Lily's bedroom and Spencer was tempted to follow her in there, just to see what she was doing in there. He assumed that she was checking that she had enough clothes and had a good place to sleep at night, but the curiosity was killing him. He would love to take a peek at that mysterious notebook that was clutched in her hands.

She came out of the bedroom and took a seat in a chair that was opposite to where the Reid's were sitting. "The kitchen is clean and well stocked, as is Lily's bedroom," she said. "The living condition is fantastic Dr. Reid. I have to say that I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"Do you think you'll be able to maintain the same level of cleanliness when you go back to work full time? I would hate to see Lily's living space be neglected."

"Of course."

"I sure hope so," said Mrs. Burke. "It must be difficult for you because you don't have a significant other or family to help you out. Or maybe you have a girlfriend that I don't know about."

"I have been taking care of myself since a young age, and I have done quite well. I always keep my apartment clean," said Spencer defensively. "And as for a girlfriend, I don't currently have one. My main priority is taking of Lily and providing her with a stable home environment and providing her with all the necessities she needs."

"Thank you Dr. Reid," said Mrs. Burke, impressed with his answers. "If you don't mind, could I have you step out of the room? I need to talk to Lily in private."

Spencer left the room, knowing full well the questions that were about to be asked. Did she like living with Spencer? Would she want to be placed in someone else's care? He hoped not. He had done everything he could for her.

Shortly after, he was called back into the living room, and Mrs. Burke was packing up her notepad. "That's all for today, Dr. Reid. From what I see here, you have a very clean apartment and a very happy little girl. We'll be in touch." She got up to leave, and like the gentlemen Spencer was, he opened and closed the door for her. His first home visit went as well as he could have hoped.

"She wanted to know if I liked living with you," blurted Lily. "You know, when she asked you to leave."

"You don't have to tell me answer if you don't want to."

"Of course I want to stay with you, Daddy," said Lily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm really happy here, with you."

"Thanks, thank you for saying that." Spencer felt taken aback.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When Mrs. Burke mentioned you having a girlfriend, you said you didn't have one. But what I want to know is, did you ever have one? Or a wife? Because all of my friends in the foster home got adopted by Mommies and Daddies, and I was just, well…"

"I did have a girlfriend," said Spencer.

"You did?"

"A while ago, I did."

"Why isn't she here anymore?"

"Well, um," Spencer cleared his throat uncomfortably. "She passed away."

"I'm sorry," said Lily, joining Spencer on the couch. "What was her name?"

"Maeve."

"That's a really pretty name."

"It is. She was so smart and kind and easy to talk to. You could talk to her for hours and feel like only a minute had passed. I loved her, I loved her so much." Spencer smiled at the thought of her. Her face would be burned into his brain for as long as he lived. Her wavy brown hair, clear blue eyes. He longed to see her eyes when they weren't red-rimmed or fearful. The image of her scared and bloodied would be the only one that he got to see of her alive.

"Do you think she would have liked me?" Lily's little voice asked.

"I know she would have loved you." Spencer said, which made the little girl smile. His heart was heavy from thinking about Maeve and all the time he should have gotten to spend with her, but was cut short by an unnecessary act of violence.

"I would have liked her too, since you said you did," said Lily, giving Spencer a hug around the neck. He had to admit, that made the heaviness in his heart lessen. It amazed him how quickly this special girl has weaved her way into his heart.


	9. Change of Routine

Spencer always had the same morning routine every time he was in his own apartment and not in a different hotel for a case. Every day, he got up at 6:45 on the dot. His circadian clock has become so attuned to the time that he didn't need to set his alarm clock anymore, but he still did it anyways, on the off chance that he overslept. Then he would use the bathroom, shave, and brush his teeth, (he preferred to take showers the night before.) Next, he would get dressed in his usual slacks, dress shirt, tie, and sweater, although his teammates made frequent comments about his odd outfit choices and color combinations. Then he would make a little breakfast for himself, usually along the lines of buttered toast and a hot cup of heavily sugared coffee, and select one of his many books to read while he ate. After that, he would either drive his car to work, or take the subway, depending on how heavy the traffic was.

All of that changed now that he had a daughter to care for. Especially because today was Spencer's first day back and Lily's first day of school.

He still woke up at 6:45 and did his bathroom routine, but instead of making breakfast for one, he had to wake up Lily and make sure her needs were taken care of.

She had her princess blanket wrapped over her and was snuggled into her teddy bear. She looked so comfortable that Spencer almost felt guilty for waking her, but it had to be done.

"Hey Lily." He gently shook her shoulder. "It's time to wake up now. You have school today."

"I don't want to go today," she mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head. "I'll go tomorrow."

"You have to go today," Spencer chuckled. "Miss Penelope bought you that special outfit for today, and Henry will be lonely without having you to play with."

"Oh, alright." She got up and stretched. "I guess I'll go."

Spencer smiled, satisfied with himself that he said the right things to get her up. He left the room so she could get dressed and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for two. Lily emerged dressed in her new, pretty outfit, and joined Spencer at the kitchen table. He set a plate of scrambled eggs and toast down in front of her and the same for himself.

"What if the other kids don't like me?" Lily asked, pushing the eggs around the plate.

"Why wouldn't they like you?"

Lily shrugged. "What if no one wants to play with me?"

"Henry will play with you."

"I guess. But what if I'm not smart?"

"I've seen you read before. You'll do fine. In fact, I think you'll be ahead of the other kids. Eat your breakfast so you can have enough energy for today."

"Maybe I should just stay home and you can be my teacher."

Spencer smiled. "Now Lily, you know I can't do that. Of course I can teach you facts and information, but I can't be your teacher. You know how my job takes up a lot of time," when Lily nodded, Spencer continued. "And sometimes I have to travel to different states for days at a time. I never know when that will happen, so I need to be ready."

"I know," Lily grumbled.

"And I thank you for understanding that my job is hard. Remember Mrs. Johnson is going to pick you up from school today and she'll bring you home. I'm sorry that I can't be there to do it, but I will call you after to see how you are. I should be home before six today, that is, if I don't have to leave for a case."

"Okay."

Spencer smiled and gave his daughter a hug. "Come on it's time for school."

Lily complained, but picked up her backpack and waited by the door. She held Spencer's hand as they walked down the hallway. "Wait," she exclaimed. "I forgot something. We have to go back." She ran back inside the apartment and came back holding the pink pen that Penelope gave her. "It's for good luck. I can't forget it."

"Alright let's go," Spencer nudged. They drove over to the public school, which wasn't too far. The two of them walked into the school and Lily's grip on Spencer's hand tightened.

"I don't like it here," she whispered. "I want to go."

"You'll be fine." Spencer led them into a friendly-looking principal's office.

"Good morning, come on in," he greeted. "You must be Dr. Reid and Lily. I'm Principal Bryant. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Please, sit down." He gestured to two chairs in front of her desk. "It's going to be so nice to have you at school today Lily. Your teacher, Mrs. Lane, is exceptionally excited to have you join her class. I think you are really going to like her. She's been teaching here for close to forty years and has adored all of her students. I've spoken to your father already, so are you ready to start class?"

Lily sighed. "I guess so."

"Okay." Principal Bryant smiled warmly at Lily and Spencer. "I'm going to walk you and your Dad to your classroom now."

He showed them to a bright, cheery room, filled with colorful posters, tiny desks and chairs, and all the art supplies you could imagine. Child art work covered every square inch of the walls. There were kids playing with toys, coloring and chatting before they had to start class. Henry was in the back playing with some toy cars.

"Daddy," Lily whispered. "Can I go play with Henry?"

"Yes, of course," he said.

"Hi, Uncle Spence," said Henry, with a big wave.

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you were related to the Jareau-LaMontagne's. Are you Jennifer's brother?" asked Principal Bryant.

"No, we are not related; just really close friends. Henry is my godson actually. Jennifer and I work together."

"That's right. I forgot she works for the FBI too," His thought was interrupted when another older looking woman entered the room. She was in her sixties with short red hair and a rainbow sweater with a flower lapel. She was the ideal image of a kindergarten teacher.

"Oh, you must be Dr. Reid. I'm Judith Lane," She extended her hand to shake which Spencer reluctantly took. "And where is Miss Lily?"

"She's over there, next to Henry." Spencer pointed her out.

"Wonderful, she's already made a friend. I'm about to start class. Would you like to stay for the first few minutes?" asked Mrs. Lane.

"I would love too," said Spencer. "But I'm afraid I must get going to work."

"Of course," she said. "I'll give you a moment to say your goodbyes."

"Lily, come here please," Spencer ordered. "I have to leave now. I need to go back to work."

"You're leaving me?" Lily's eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over.

"I'm not leaving you." Spencer gave her a tight hug. "You know I will see you later. Have some fun today. Why don't you try to learn something new that you can tell me when I see you at home? Go play with Henry; he's waiting for you."

"Okay." She gave Spencer one last hug and went to play with her friend.

"Trust me," said Mrs. Lane, about to round up twenty hyper six year olds for class. "I have been doing this job for forty two years, and the ones who take their parents leaving the hardest always end up having the most fun. She'll be fine Dr. Reid. I will make sure of it."

"I hope so."


	10. Separation

Spencer rubbed the heel of his palms into his eyes and rubbed at them tiredly. His brain has been running on overdrive ever since he dropped Lily off at school. He had a stack of files the size of Mount Everest on his desk that he was trying to close before 5:00. He still hadn't finished his report on the case the team closed two weeks ago, and his email inbox was filling up faster than Spencer could respond to them.

"Oh, I've seen that look before," chuckled Derek, which made Spencer jump. Derek spun around Spencer's rolling chair to face him. "I know there's something on your mind besides being tired and overworked. You've got someone special on your mind. Now I don't _think_ you've got a woman, although you have been known to keep secrets from me, so that only leaves one other little lady who has recently stolen your heart."

"It's her first day of school today," said Spencer, fiddling with a stray pencil on his desk.

"And you're worried that she won't do well? That she won't make friends her own age?"

"No, it's not that…"

"I see now," said Derek. "You miss Lily."

"I do miss her," admitted Spencer. "I know it's silly because I was fortunate to spend two uninterrupted weeks with her, but I can't help but wonder what she's doing now. What is she studying? Who did she eat lunch with today? Is she having fun? I don't know. I wish I could be there to pick her up after school like any other parent, but you know how unpredictable this job can be."

"That's understandable Reid, you're her parent now. You care a great deal for her, and I know that it's hard not to be there for her after school. You're doing the best you can, and she knows that. She's happy with you," Derek said. "You're a real good parent Reid. It's funny you know, you're not totally like her Dad, but you're not like the Reid at work; it's just the right mix. Now, what do you say about burgers for lunch? My treat."

"Did I hear someone say burgers?" said Penelope, finally retreating out of her tech lair. "I could go for one right now, a veggie burger that is. Ooh, and with extra tomato and pickles and maybe a little ketchup!"

"C'mon Momma," Derek invited. "We couldn't leave you out. We'll make it a party of three."

"That's a generous offer, but I think I'll take a rain check today," said Spencer. "Two weeks off really put me behind on my paperwork and I'm sure everyone has been sneaking their files on my desk."

"Well that's nothing that your big ol' brain can't handle," said Penelope, pulling Spencer out of his chair by the arm. "Besides a lanky boy like you needs to eat."

Spencer finally acquiesced, pulling his signature messenger bag over his shoulder. "Did you know that Lily brought that pen you gave her to school today?" He said to Penelope. "She called it her good luck charm."

"Isn't she just a precious little flower," Penelope squealed. "She is too cute."

XXXXXX

"Thank you Mrs. Johnson," said Spencer, picking Lily up from the kind neighbor who offered to watch her while he was at work or on cases. "I hope you know how much I appreciate you doing this for me."

"Of course Spencer, and please, call me Marie," she said. "It gives me something to do each day since my own grandchildren live on the other side of the country. She was a great today. She had a little snack, took a cat nap and watched a little TV. It seems like she really enjoyed school." She smiled lovingly at Lily who was coloring at the kitchen table. "She's a great little girl."

"Yes, she is," agreed Spencer. He thanked her again and she retreated back to her apartment across the hall. If it wasn't for her, then he never would have been able to adopt Lily.

"Do you want to talk about school now?" Spencer asked. When he called Lily after school, she had been alarming quiet and hardly answered any of the questions. "I'm curious to see if you had fun today."

"Okay," she gave in. "I had a great time today."

"I knew you would. Maybe you should listen to me more often," Spencer smirked, which made Lily roll her eyes. "Tell me more about your day."

"Mrs. Lane is real nice. We read a book together and then I colored a picture, but I left it at school. I'll give it to you tomorrow. Henry and I played with some toys, then I ate my lunch with Sophie and Abigail. They're my new friends."

"I'm so glad you made new friends."

"They said they liked my outfit. Hey, did you know that elephants are the only animal has four knees?" Lily asked, out of the blue.

"I didn't," said Spencer. He did know that, but for Lily's sake he pretended he didn't.

"You told me to tell you something that I learned in school today. Mrs. Lane read us a book about zoo animals," Lily explained.

"Thank you for that little fact," said Spencer. "Do you have any homework?"

"Just a tracing letters worksheet. It's so easy. I can do it fast so we can have dinner."

"Is there anything special you want for dinner?"

"No, you're a good cook."

"When I tell my friends that they would laugh," Spencer said, which made the two of them laugh. Anyone looking on what have thought the two of them were crazy for laughing at something that wasn't even funny, but they didn't care. They were in the comfort of each other, and that was all that mattered.

 **A/N: I have some exciting news! I am starting a new Criminal Minds story that should be posted sometime this weekend or Monday, so please be on the lookout for that. However, this doesn't mean that I am stopping the frequent updates on this story. And again, thank you to all my followers, reviewers, and readers who have given this little story a chance.**


	11. Goodnight Phone Calls

The first night Spencer spent away from Lily on a case had been strange for him. He had gotten so used to caring for her that he felt like he had nothing to do when the day came to an end.

The team had made some good progress on the case and had delivered the profile, so it was only a matter of time before this particular unsub was caught. Everyone headed back to the hotel for the night for some much needed sleep. Hotch and Rossi, JJ and Blake, and Spencer and Morgan all had to share rooms. The bureau may have gotten the BAU there own private jet, but separate hotel rooms were a rare treat.

"Do you mind if I hit the shower first?" Morgan asked Spencer, tossing his go-bag down on one of the beds.

"No, I have a phone call to make," answered Spencer. "I'll be down in the lobby."

Derek smirked, knowing full well what call he was about to make.

Spencer sat down in one of the armchairs, pulled out his cell phone and dialed the familiar number. "Hello Mrs. Johnson, I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Not at all dear," she said. "I just put Lily to bed, but I suspect she'll still be awake. I'm assuming you want to talk to her?"

"Yes, but only if she's still awake." Spencer checked his wristwatch. It was just after 8:30. He really hoped that he would get to talk to her before she went to bed. He snuck in a quick call to her after her school day, but hearing her voice at night would make him sleep better.

"Hi Daddy," said Lily. "How was the day?"

Spencer felt his heart swell with love. He couldn't even put into words how good it felt to hear his daughter call him Daddy. He didn't think he would ever lose that amazing feeling. "Very busy," he responded. "My friends and I have been working all day to catch this bad guy. How was school?"

"School was so fun," she said, which brought a smile to Spencer's face. "I did a craft project and I played hopscotch with Sophia, then, I read a chapter book. I read a book all by myself that had chapters in it and only a few pictures."

"I'm very proud of you. Can you read it to me when I get home?"

"Of course! When will you be home?"

"It's hard to say, but I should be home by Friday," said Spencer. "Now, I want you to get some sleep so you're not tired for this weekend. I promise we'll do something fun together. You can pick whatever you want to do."

"Maybe we could bake something, like cookies! But, you should get some sleep too. You sound tired."

Spencer chuckled. "I am very tired. Goodnight Lily. Be good for Mrs. Johnson."

"Goodnight Daddy. I love you."

Spencer paused. He never heard Lily say those three words to him. The last person he heard say that to him was Maeve, and he would have to live with never repeating it back to her. He hoped that she knew that he meant it, but those words caught him so off guard that he didn't repeat it.

Spencer licked his lips and smiled wide. "I love you too Lily."

This time, he would make sure to say it back.

 **A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is late and shorter than the usual ones. I had a death in the family, and this week has been so hectic. My mind is a bit frazzled right now. I barely had any time to sit down and write, so forgive me if this chapter was a little scattered and lacking some Lily and Spencer moments. I promise that next chapter will be better. Thank you to all.**


	12. Homecomings and Cookies

**A/N: I just wanted to thank the kind reviewers who left such nice comments on the last chapter. Writing is my passion and stress reliever and it truly warms my heart to get so much support. The amazing comments I get always make me smile. I never thought that this story would gain so many follows, favorites, or reviews. Thank you guys so, so much!**

Spencer unlocked his apartment door and set his go-bag down on the floor. He was exhausted, but coming home to Lily was so much better than coming home to an empty apartment. He finally had someone to come home to. He envied the fact that all of his other team members had someone to come home to, and now he was proud to say that he had someone too. He understood why JJ was the first one to leave when the team landed and why Hotch finished all of his work at the office. When he was home he wanted all of his attention to be focused and his son, and Spencer wanted that too.

He smiled at the sight of her drawings on fridge, her coloring book open on the kitchen table, her backpack and coat hanging on the hook and her shoes by the door. Before Lily, he came home to his apartment looking the same way it did as he left.

Mrs. Johnson was asleep on the couch, but was stirring awake at the sound of Spencer coming home. "Oh, you're home dear," she said. "Let me get out of your way."

"No, you don't have to leave. I didn't know I was going to come home so late." The time on Spencer's wristwatch 11:32 p.m. The team had landed late Friday night, just when he expected he would be home. "You're welcome to stay the night."

"I don't want to get in your way. It looks like you are in need of a good sleep." Mrs. Johnson got up off the couch, patted Spencer on the back, and headed across the hall to her apartment. It was convenient to the both of them that she lived across the hall.

Spencer headed into his bathroom and started the shower. He always showered when he came home after a case. The hot water helped him wash away the stress of his job.

He exited the shower and looked at himself in mirror. He rubbed his hand over his jawline and decided he needed a shave, but that could wait.

He changed into his warm pajamas and headed down the hallway to check on Lily. He wouldn't be able to sleep well if he didn't know that she was okay. She was curled up into her blanket with her teddy bear tucked firmly under her arm, which made Spencer sigh with contentment. She didn't even stir when he rubbed her cheek and pushed the hair off of her face.

She was okay.

XXXXXX

"Daddy, I thought you said we were going to do something fun today," Lily complained.

"We are going to something fun," said Spencer. "But we needed groceries. If we're going to make cookies, then we needed the right ingredients. Help me unload the food, then we can start baking."

Twenty minutes later, groceries were put away, hands were washed, the oven was preheated and they were ready to go. He remembered that JJ had given him a recipe for her Mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies after he had eaten so many of them at her Christmas party. He appreciated her gesture, but never thought he would actually have time to make them.

He retrieved the recipe and laid it on the counter for Lily to read. "Can you read the recipe for me?" Spencer asked.

"Of course," she said. "Step one says to beat sugar and butter."

"It means we have to combine the two ingredients together until they're creamy," Spencer clarified. "How much sugar and butter do we need?"

"Two over three cups of sugar and one stick of butter."

"Two thirds is a fraction. That number is less than one." If they were going to bake, then he was going to try to make this educational. "If it's less than the number one, can you find it on the measuring cup?"

Lily did, and poured the sugar and butter into the mixing bowl and watched the two ingredients blend together. "The next thing we have to do is add one t-s-p of vanilla. What's that?"

"That's called shorthand. All it means is a teaspoon. People use letters instead of writing out the whole word." Spencer handed Lily the little measuring cups and she sifted through them until she found the right one.

The two added the flour, salt, baking soda and eggs until only one ingredients was left: chocolate chips. Spencer tore into the bag and popped a few of the tasty morsels into his mouth.

"Daddy, you're not supposed to eat them now," Lily giggled.

"My friends say I have a sweet tooth. Here, you can have some," Spencer laughed, holding the bag out for Lily to have.

Lily added the bag (minus the few that they ate) into the bowl with all the other ingredients. Spencer gave the mixture one last stir before scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet. Then he put the sheet into the oven to bake.

"How long do we have to wait until we can eat them?" Lily asked, eager to try the delicious dessert.

"What does the recipe say?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"Then we have to wait fifteen minutes. If its 2:00 right now, what time will they be ready?"

Lily thought hard for a moment, used her fingers to count to fifteen, and then answered. "2:15!"

Spencer smiled with pride. "Good job!"

He went on to make the two of them sandwiches, which they enjoyed until the oven timer went off. Spencer went to go get them out of the oven so that they didn't overcook.

"They smell really good," he commented.

"But they're going to taste even better!" Lily added. She wanted to eat them now, but Spencer explained to her that you have to let them cool before you eat them. Lunch was finished, the kitchen was clean, and now the cookies could be eaten.

Spencer gave Lily the biggest one and she bit into it eagerly. "Mmm, these are so good! There all soft and warm."

Spencer took a bite of his own and agreed. "These are really good. I've never actually baked before, but our first attempt went surprising well."

"We should bake some more things, like a cake or something," Lily suggested.

Spencer laughed. "I would like that too. Maybe next weekend?"

Lily grinned. "Yeah, next weekend."


	13. Photo Memories

Spencer was sitting on the couch, nose buried in a book on String Theory, when the sounds of Lily rummaging around his bedroom snapped him out of his trance. She appeared out of his bedroom, dragging his photo bin behind her. "We have to do something with all of these pictures!" Lily said, pointing to the large, plastic bin.

"I never have anytime to organize them," He answered.

"You have time now, don't you?" Lily refuted.

Spencer chuckled, knowing he had been beat. Besides, he didn't exactly like that all of his treasured memories were collecting dust in a plastic bin that was shoved into the corner of his closet. "Okay, we have some time."

He grabbed five manila folders from his desk drawer and set them down on the floor in front of where Lily sat. "I don't have any empty photo albums on hand so we will have to organize the photos by year. I can pick up some albums over the weekend." He instructed. "Do you think you can do that?"

Lily nodded, up to the challenge. She reached into the bin and picked one out, immediately laughing at it.

Spencer took the picture from her hands, taking a look for himself. It didn't seem too strange of a picture to him. It was a photo taken about four years ago of the whole team at one of Rossi's infamous pasta nights. Everyone was happily smiling at the camera, and even Hotch had a rare grin on his face. "What's so funny about this?"

"Your hair was too long," she giggled. "It was almost as long as mine."

"My Mom didn't like it, so I cut it," he explained.

"Well I like it better too," she said. "Wait, who is that?"

"That's one of my good friends, Emily. She was part of our team, but then she moved to London. That's really far away, but she comes to visit when she can."

"She's pretty."

"I told her about you," Spencer added. "She said she would like to meet you when she visits next."

Lily smiled. "I'd like to meet her too." She placed the photo in its correct folder and grabbed the next one on the pile. It was a photo of young Spencer with his Mom, her arm protectively around his chest. They were both looking right at the camera with genuine smiles on their faces.

That was one of Spencer's favorites. He remembered that his Mom had been reading to him a few minutes before the picture was taken. It was one of her lucid days, which were becoming rarer. He put that one to the side, making a mental note to have it framed. He would bring it to her next time he visited, hoping that she would remember that moment.

The next one was of Spencer holding a newborn Henry. JJ had taken it the first time he had visited his godson.

"What baby are you holding?" Lily asked.

"That's Henry when he was just born," Spencer said. He smiled, thinking back to that time. He remembered looking at his sweet little sleeping face and feel such peace wash over him. Henry was so little and all Spencer wanted to do was protect him. After all, it had been Henry that inspired Spencer to want a child of his own. He saw the way JJ's face lit up when talking about her son, and wanted to experience that for himself.

He pulled the next one from the bin, which happened to be Henry's birth announcement. It had a large black and white photo of him sleeping, and underneath was the details of his birth. It read: _We are happy to announce the birth of Henry William Jareau-LaMontagne, born October 28_ _th_ _2008, to proud parents Jennifer Jareau and William LaMontagne Jr._

The next one was another with him and Henry, but Penelope was holding her little godson on the day of his first birthday. In the background, you could see the mound of toys that she had gotten him, despite the protests of JJ to only buy him one gift. She had convinced him that it was the duty of the godparents to spoil their godchildren, and Spencer had listened.

Lily had grabbed another one of Spencer and Emily and another with him and Derek. It was an older one, because the muscular profiler had hair, and every time Lily had seen him, his head was clean shaven.

Lily found a smaller one, which she recognized as Maeve from Spencer's description of her. She handed it to him, and he smiled sadly at it. Not too long ago he placed this exact photo on Penelope's homemade alter on her Day of the Dead party. He had make sure to take the photo back when he went home because it was the only one he had of her.

Spencer didn't have too many photos, so the two of them got the job quickly. He placed the big stack of photos on his desk, and went to make dinner, but noticed that Lily was visibly upset.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, nothing," she mumbled, taking a seat on the couch.

Spencer sat down next to her and wrapped her in a big hug. "Tell me what's bothering you. I can't help your problem unless you talk to me."

"I'm sad, because you have pictures of everyone else but me," she said. "I want a picture with you."

"I'm sorry. I would take pictures, but I'm not very good at using the camera on my phone." He explained, which made Lily smile a little. She knew he never used his phone for anything other than making and receiving calls or sending the occasional text.

"How about we take one now?" he asked, taking his phone out of his pocket. The Bureau had given all of the BAU agents iPhones to use for work, but they were also allowed to use it for leisure.

He pulled up the camera and figured out how to turn it around so they appeared on the screen. "Okay smile," he said, snapping the very first photo of the two of them.

"Let me see." Spencer tilted his phone so Lily could have a look. "That's awesome," she commented.

"Just wait until my friends hear about this one," Spencer said, smiling.


	14. Plane Excitement

Spencer sat in front of his laptop, staring at the screen. He has been sitting here for the past twenty minutes, trying to make his decision. He had been toying with the idea of bringing Lily to see his Mom for a month, and finally sat down now to buy the tickets.

He had talked to his Mom's doctors last week and they said she should be okay for visitors, and there was no evidence of instability in her most recent letters, so Spencer decided that now was as good of time as any. He pressed the "purchase" button on two tickets to Las Vegas, Nevada for this Friday to Sunday. There was no going back now. He chose a short weekend trip because he didn't want Lily to miss any school or overwhelm his Mom with a longer visit.

"Hey Lily," he called. "Can you come here? I have a surprise for you."

"What's the surprise? I love surprises!"

"I got plane tickets for the two of us to visit my Mom in Las Vegas. We'll leave on Friday and get back Sunday night."

"Really?" Lily asked, her face filled with excitement. "Do we get to take a plane? I've never been on a plane before."

"We'll take a plane," Spencer explained. "My Mom is very excited to meet you."

"I can't wait to meet her too."

XXXXXX

The day had come, the bags were packed, and Spencer and Lily were waiting patiently outside their apartment building for Derek to drive them to the airport. He had owed him a ride since Spencer did the same for him last year.

Lily grabbed the handle of her duffel bag anxiously. Going on a plane for the first time was an exciting thing for her to experience, but she was still a little nervous. She told Henry that she was going to go on a plane for the first time and he assured her that flying was really fun.

Meeting Spencer's Mom was something she was looking forward too, but he had explained to her that she was very sick and she lived in a special home where doctors can help her. Spencer wanted to explain this to her so she wouldn't be alarmed if his Mom was sitting in a wheelchair or a nurse was giving her medicine.

Derek pulled up in front of the building and beeped the horn for them to get in. Spencer loaded the suitcases into the trunk and Derek pulled away.

"Remember we have a 7:00 flight, so don't get lost," Spencer joked.

"Watch it pretty boy, I'm doing you a favor," Derek warned, but there was laughter in his tone.

Derek and Spencer joked around, which alleviated some of his anxiety. His mind wouldn't stop spinning since he bought the plane tickets. What if his Mom was having one of her bad days? What if she had a negative reaction to Lily?

Spencer pushed thoughts to the back of his mind and tried to focus on the present. He knew Lily was a little nervous to fly for the first time and he wanted to be alert and give his attention to her.

Derek dropped them off and the two of them headed to the kiosk to print out their tickets. Lily instinctively reached for Spencer's hand. There were more people in one place than Lily's ever seen. Spencer gripped her hand back, understanding her nerves. He got the tickets printed out and they walked over to security. He was a frequent flyer so they got to bypass the long line of people waiting. They did the routine of putting their carry-ons through security and walking through the metal detector.

"That was fun," Lily commented, as the two of them headed to the correct gate. "We got to skip over all those people who had to wait in that long line."

"We get to skip past people because I'm a frequent flyer, and it's not so fun after you do it a hundred times," Spencer said.

"You've done that a hundred times?" Lily asked in disbelief.

"Over a hundred. 252 times to be exact. I know this airport like the back of my hand. I can tell you every store and restaurant here and exactly where they are. I'm basically an expert on flying."

"So if you're an expert on flying, do you think the plane will crash?"

Spencer smiled at her, knowing this was what she had been anxious about. "This plane won't crash. On all the flights that I have been on, there has never been any problems with the plane."

"But what if there's problems today? You don't know what will happen today." Lily retorted.

"The chance of that happening is very, very low. Nothing bad is going to happen. Look outside, it's a perfect day. No clouds and no rain to effect the plane. It will be smooth sailing."

"If you say so," Lily said, as the flight attendant starting calling groups of passengers to board the plane. Spencer and Lily got to board first because he was travelling with a small child.

"The plane is smaller than I thought it would be. The seats are tiny," said Lily, and Spencer agreed. It was such a change for him to fly commercially after having the luxury of taking a private jet. The seats were small and cramped and it didn't have the nice, leather seats that the team liked to stretch out on after a hard case. There also wasn't a fully stocked snack bar with all the coffee he wanted. Instead, there were flight attendants who passed out pretzels and soft drinks twice during the flight.

They found there seats (Spencer let Lily have the one by the window) and buckled in. Travelling on commercial airlines always reminded Spencer of how many germs there were floating around, so he and Lily used some of his travel sized hand sanitizer. That was one of his must-have items when flying.

"How long will it take until we're there?" Lily asked.

"About four hours and forty minutes."

Lily groaned. "What am I supposed to do with all that time?"

"Read your books, we'll talk, take a nap, look out the window. I know that seems like a lot of time, but it's not so bad once we get moving."

As if on cue, the plane started to roll towards the takeoff runway. "We're moving!" Lily exclaimed.

Spencer chuckled. "That's kind of the point of a plane. Just wait until we take off, that's the fun part."

The plane engine roared to life and sped down the runway as it ascended into the sky. Lily smiled with delight as she watched the runway get smaller and smaller the higher they went. It was a really weird to feel the plane going at such a high speed.

"Look Daddy, everything's so tiny. Look at that little building! Look at the cars, they look like ants!"

Spencer smiled and watched the awe fill Lily's face as she watched the world from above. They would be there in no time.


	15. Grandma

Spencer held onto Lily's hand as they walked into the Bennington Sanitarium, only to find Diana sitting up and alert on her bed.

"Hello Spencer," she said. "It's wonderful to see you."

"You too Mom." Spencer cleared his throat. "I would like you to meet Lily, my daughter. She's very excited to meet you."

"Hi Lily." Diana smiled sweetly at her, which lessened some of the anxiety in Spencer's stomach. "I have been waiting to meet you ever since Spencer told me he adopted a child."

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. He remembered when he first told his Mom that he was adopting a child, and it didn't go well. _"Her name is Lily, Mom," he had said. "She's only six years old and she needs a good home to go to."_

" _Spencer, you can't adopt a child," Diana retorted. "You're only in high school."_

" _I'm not in high school Mom. I'm thirty two and I'm ready to have a child of my own."_

" _I don't know Spencer, this doesn't seem like such a good idea. The government has spies everywhere these days."_

" _She's not a spy Mom. She's just a little girl who needs someone to love her, and I know that I can do that."_

Back in the present, Lily smiled back at Diana. "I drew you this picture," she said. "There's lots of flowers and trees on it."

"Thank you." Diana put the drawing gently down on her bed. "Spencer said you liked to read."

"I love to read."

"I'm afraid that the majority of my book collection isn't something you would be interested in, but I found a copy of _Little Women_ that I thought you might enjoy."

"Daddy reads to me before I go to bed. We just finished _Charlotte's Web_ and now we started _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."_

Diana's eyes met Spencer's. "Books are such a treasure. I'm so glad you are reading to her."

Spencer felt his heart swell. "Thanks Mom. How about we take you out for some breakfast?"

"That sounds like a delightful idea," Diana agreed, slinging her straw purse over her shoulder.

XXXXXX

Diana's voice echoed around her room as she read _Little Women_ aloud to Spencer and Lily. Spencer was familiar with this story, but admitted to enjoying the sound of his Mom's voice engrossed in the novel. It's been ages since she's read aloud to him.

Diana and Lily were sitting on the small couch and Spencer was across from them in the armchair. This moment brought back such powerful memories for him. Almost immediately, he was transported back to when he was eight years old and curled up next to his Mom in her bed. He was always mesmerized by the books and how his Mom's voice made the words come alive.

He could tell that Lily was feeling the same way that he did. She would smile every time Diana changed her voice when reading the different characters, and gradually moved closer to her with every chapter.

" _If only she could be like this all the time,"_ Spencer thought grimly. At this moment, everything was perfect. There were no government spies to worry about, no impending terror, nothing.

Spencer and Lily would have to leave tomorrow, which was unfortunate. Lily and her Grandma were getting along so well, but Spencer knew that moments like these were fleeting. He had gotten lucky and brought Lily on a weekend where Diana's schizophrenia was managed, but who knew what tomorrow might bring. Spencer knew that Diana's lucidity was wavering, but he would never tell Lily that. She wouldn't understand it at her young age, which was in some ways a benefit to her. Spencer didn't have that privilege when he was small, and saw everything his Mom suffered from. It was moments like this, the simple times, that meant the most to him.

Diana set the book down on the nightstand and took a sip from her water glass. "I afraid I don't read aloud much anymore. I used to read to Spencer frequently when he was a young boy."

"He said he got his love of reading from you," said Lily, remembering a conversation that she and Spencer had when she had a nightmare and he read to her to calm her down.

"I hope so," Diana said to Spencer. "In fact, that reminds me of something. I picked up a little something for you." Diana went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a first edition copy of _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy._

"Mom, where did you get this?" Spencer was at a loss for words. He had several first editions of classic novels, but not this one. This would make an excellent addition to his collection.

"I picked it up at this quaint little bookshop on my last trip out. I don't recall you having this copy of this, so I thought you might like it."

Spencer held the book delicately in his hands and thumbed through all the pages. He hadn't received a present from him Mom since he was nineteen years old. He didn't blame her for it, for she could never really keep track of the days. That why was getting this small gift was so special to him. It was more than a book to him. It was a reminder that his Mother still cared for him and remembered his passion for literature.

He tucked the treasure neatly away in his messenger bag and vowed to put it right on his shelf when he got home.

XXXXXX

It was Sunday morning, and the time had come for Lily and Spencer to go back home. Their flight was for 6:30 at night, so they had time for to come back in the morning and say their goodbyes.

Diana was waiting for them in the seating area when they came. "It's nice to see you again."

"We can't stay for very long," said Spencer. "Our flight leaves tonight."

"Oh, I remember you telling me that. It's so nice of you to take time off from your busy adventures to come and visit little, old me."

"Of course Mom."

"Are you staying safe?" Diana asked suddenly.

"You shouldn't worry about me Mom. I'm doing fine. _We're_ doing fine."

"I can't help but worry," Diana said. "It's all part of my job. You should know that now that you have Lily."

"Yes, I do." Spencer smiled shyly, knowing she was right. He hadn't realized how much a parent worries about their children when they weren't with them. He could try to imagine what that felt like, but he wasn't able to fully understand until he had a child of his own. It made him think about Hotch and JJ, and the worries that haunted them when they were off at cases for many days at a time.

Diana beamed at her son, wrapping her arms around him as he gave her one last hug before they left. Lily was next, hugging her Grandma around the waist.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you," said Diana.

"Me too," said Lily.

"We'll try to visit again soon Mom," said Spencer.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."


	16. Birthday

**A/N: 71 followers? 64 reviews? 35 favorites? Wow! I am beyond grateful to everyone who decided to read my story and support it. I never would have made it this far without all of you. Thank you for all the amazing support, and stay tuned because the best is yet to come!**

Spencer sat on the sofa in the living room skimming through a book on quantum physics, with his back turned to the kitchen. He heard the sounds of Lily rummaging around and cabinets being opened and closed. He had promised her that he wouldn't turn around until she was done. Today was his birthday, and she wanted to make him breakfast.

"I'm almost done, but don't turn around yet," she said. "No peeking."

"Okay, I'm excited to see what you made me for me," Spencer replied, taking a sip of his coffee. He had made that himself, but Lily insisted on adding the sugar.

A moment later, she set down a bowl of Rice Krispies on the coffee table.

"Thank you Lily," Spencer said, taking a bite to eat. "Just what I wanted."

"I know you don't eat very much in the mornings, so this is something small," Lily observed.

"Well, I appreciate it."

"And this isn't even your present!" Lily finished.

"You got me a present?" Spencer asked. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I won't give it to you until after you get home from work," Lily said. She thought about giving it to him then, but decided to wait. This was a gamble because sometimes Spencer had to leave work for cases, but Lily decided to take that chance. She wanted to give him her present when he had time to really look at it. After all, she had worked really hard on it.

"Then I'll have something to look forward to all day," he said, already thinking about the antics his co-workers had in mind for his birthday.

XXXXXX

Spencer got into his car and heaved a big sigh. Today had been a long day for him, but it was also great too. After the team had forgotten his 30th birthday, they made a point to go above and beyond for the birthdays after. His day started out with a big birthday cake (made from scratch by Penelope) in the round table room, while everyone sung their off-key rendition of the song. JJ and Derek insisted on putting that silly birthday hat on him, while Penelope cut the cake and passed it out. He got wonderful presents from everyone, and had to recruit Derek to help him carry them out to his car. And the best part of the day was no emergency case to interrupt the celebration or his evening with Lily.

Spencer never had any friends while he was growing up, so he never really had a birthday party. But now, he had such a huge celebration that it made up for all those years of missed birthdays. He really did have the best friends anyone can ask for.

He had to make two trips from his car to his apartment before he picked up Lily from Mrs. Johnson's. Lily made a beeline towards the presents, curious to see what Spencer had received.

"Look at all these presents! Are these all from your friends? What did they do for your birthday? Did you have a cake? Did you bring me a piece?"

"Yes, Lily." Spencer chuckled at her enthusiasm. She was probably more excited about his birthday than he was. "My friends were so nice to give me all of these presents, plus a big birthday cake. Miss Penelope made it herself, _and_ she saved you a piece. It's chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, and because she made it, the whole cake was covered in rainbow sprinkles."

"Tell her thank you when you see her tomorrow. I love rainbow sprinkles!" Lily said. "What kind of presents did your friends get you?"

"Nothing that you would like," Spencer answered honestly. "They gave me lots of foreign language novels that I don't have, Mr. Dave bought me a beautiful hand-carved chess set, and Miss JJ got me a new coffee maker. Oh, and Henry gave me this card." He showed Lily a handmade card on orange construction paper with the words 'Happy Birthday Uncle Spence' on the front.

"That's cool," she replied. "I bet you'll use that coffee maker a lot."

"Are you hungry?" Spencer asked. "What do you want for dinner?"

"It's your day, you should get to pick what you want," said Lily.

They decided on getting a takeout pizza, since they both enjoyed that and Spencer wouldn't have to make anything. He found himself making more dinners at home than he did before he adopted Lily. He went from hardly having anything sustainable in his apartment besides coffee beans and canned foods, to grocery shopping regularly and making homemade meals.

The pizza came and Spencer sat it on the kitchen table, the delicious aroma already filling the apartment. He was hungry from eating nothing but coffee and cake for lunch, so he grabbed himself a slice.

Lily hunted around in her backpack, found what she was looking for, and set it down next to Spencer. "Open it now, before we eat," she instructed.

He looked at the large envelope next to him and wondered what could be inside. On the outside, Lily had written 'Happy Birthday Daddy!' in blue marker. He smiled at the small message. He never thought that anyone would say that to him, and he was so proud to be a father. It was the best decision he ever made.

Spencer opened the envelope to reveal a drawing that Lily had made of the two of them, holding hands. He brought the artwork closer to examine all the detail that Lily had put in two it. Spencer was standing next to Lily, dressed in brown slacks, a green shirt, a brown sweater vest, a purple tie and his caramel colored messenger bag draped across his chest. Lily even added one green sock and one purple sock. He was holding her hand, and she was dressed in a bright pink top and blue jeans with matching pink shoes. They both had huge smiles on their faces. The two of were standing outside on grass with big red flowers behind them, while the sun was shining in the corner.

"Do you like it?" Lily asked.

"Of course," he replied quickly. This one, small drawing meant more to him than all of the other presents combined. He could tell that she really put so much effort into making all the details perfect. "It's the best present I could have asked for."


	17. Day At the Zoo

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back! After much consideration, I decided to continue this story. As an avid fan of Criminal Minds, it's always fun to put my spin on the characters and their stories. I have an idea of how I want my story to progress, so please keep reading because there is so much more to come! Thank you to all who has followed, favorited and reviewed my stories, because it's truly people like you who motivate me to keep writing.**

It was a beautiful Spring day in Washington, DC, so Spencer decided to take advantage of the warm weather, and do an activity with Lily outside. She had picked the zoo, after learning about different wild animals in her kindergarten class. JJ and Henry decided to tow along as well.

So far, they had seen the cheetahs and elephants, both of which Lily had really liked.

The four had walked over to the lion exhibit, so Spencer picked Lily up over the railing so she could get a better view. "The lion with the mane is a boy, and the lion without is a girl," Lily told Spencer. "We learned that in school."

"You're right," he said. "The average male lion weighs 180 pounds, and the females weigh around 130."

"They look so big, much bigger than in _The Lion King,_ " Henry noticed. "I think the lions are my favorite animal."

"I thought you said the elephants were your favorite," JJ said with a smile.

"Those are cool too, Mom, but the lions are the best," Henry explained. "What's your favorite animal Mom?"

"I like the wolves. They're beautiful, protective and fiercely loyal to their pack," JJ answered. "They defend the other wolves in their pack and are faithful to them at all costs.

"Wolves kind of look like dogs," Lily noted.

"But they are not meant to be pets," Spencer said.

"Hey, can we get a dog Mom? A pet wolf would be cooler though," Henry asked, which caused JJ to chuckle.

"Who would take care of it?"

"I would!" Henry exclaimed. "I would feed it, and play with it, and take it outside for walks and stuff."

"Dogs take time, and that is something that I don't have enough of," JJ explained.

The four moved on to the next exhibit, which was the monkeys. "They're so cute," Lily laughed. "A monkey would make a cute pet."

"And a dirty one," Spencer added.

"You know whose favorite animal are monkeys?" JJ asked. "Aunt Penelope."

"She has that little statue in her office," Henry remembered.

"Let me take your picture," JJ said, pulling out her phone. She snapped the photo and sent to Penelope. "That's so cute." She showed Spencer the picture. "Do you want me to send it to you?"

Spencer nodded. "I'm trying to compile a scrapbook for Lily. I have a few pictures of her with birth parents that her social worker gave me. I know she'll start asking about them soon and I want to be prepared."

"That's smart," JJ commented. "I'm glad are kids are getting along so well."

"Henry's such a great kid," Spencer said, keeping an eye on the two as they laughed at the different monkeys in the exhibit. "He's one of the major reasons as to why I wanted to adopt. I've always wanted children of my own, and I don't know if I'll have them biologically."

"Spence, there's still time," JJ said.

"I know, but now I don't have to have that thought hanging over my head. I already have a great daughter, and there is still the option having kids of my own down the line."

"So, is Dr. Spencer Reid seeing anyone?" JJ asked.

"Oh please," Spencer chuckled. "How could I have anytime to with our jobs and kids?"

"In time Spencer," JJ said. "You will."

"Can we have lunch now?" Henry asked.

"Let's wash our hands first," Spencer suggested.

The four of them found a picnic table to eat at. Jennifer had packed lunches for them to eat. She had brought sandwiches, pretzels, and juice.

"Dad, you never told us what your favorite animal was," Lily said. "I liked the monkeys like Aunt Penelope."

"I don't know," Spencer said, thinking about the question. "I've always liked the rhinoceros."

"The animal with the horns?" asked Lily.

"They're a misunderstood animal," Spencer explained. "A lot of people think they're angry, but they charge when they get startled, not when they are upset."

"Tell us more animal facts Uncle Spencer," Henry said.

"We still have more exhibits to see," Spencer said. "Let's get going."

XxXxXx

Nighttime had fallen, and Lily was bathed and ready for bed. She grabbed her favorite stuffed dog and blanket, but she couldn't fall asleep without Spencer reading to her. "Daddy, can you come read a story?"

Spencer was in the living room getting himself organized for the week, when he heard Lily calling from her bedroom. "Of course I'll read you a story. Pick one out."

Lily headed over to her bookshelf, where Spencer had stocked it with kid-friendly books. "Do I have any books about animals?"

"I think you have _Curious George_ ," Spencer said.

"I found it," Lily said, joining Spencer in the rocking chair beside her bed. She sat on his lap and pulled her blanket over them. "Thank you for taking me to the zoo today. I had a really good time."

"Of course Lily. I know that my job takes up a lot of time, so I like to do something fun with you on the weekends."

"Well, the zoo was great," She said. "The monkeys were so cute."

"I can tell that you really liked the monkeys," Spencer said, opening up the book. When he was finished with the book, Lily was half asleep.

He carefully moved her to her bed, and made sure that her stuffed dog was in her arms, and her blanket was laid over her. It was moments like this, that Spencer knew that he had made the best decision of his life.


	18. Graduation Day

**A/N: I have a question for everyone. According to the timeline of my story, we're at the end of season nine, when Spencer gets injured. Should I incorporate Spencer getting shot in the neck into my story, or just forget that ever happened? Please let me know what you guys want to see. Thanks!**

Spencer smiled at Lily as he watched her stand next to the other kids in her classroom. She waved at him. He waved back. Today she was graduating from kindergarten, which was a day that Spencer never thought that he would see. Having kids was always in the back of his mind, but after Maeve, he knew that he really wanted to have children. Biological or not, he loved Lily as if she was his own.

Lily's kindergarten teacher began calling the kid's names. They got to walk across the stage and collect their certificate, something that Lily was really excited about. Mrs. Lane started with the beginning of the alphabet.

JJ and Will sat next on the left of Spencer, and Penelope and Derek were on the right. JJ patted Spence on the knee. "Here he comes," she whispered.

"Henry Jareau-LaMontagne," the teacher called. Henry strode across the stage, and smiled widely. He received his certificate with pride. He waved at his five family members sitting in the front row.

"Can you believe he's graduating already?" Will whispered to JJ. "It seems like just yesterday that I got the call that you were in labor."

"He's getting so big already," JJ replied.

"Next he'll be graduating from high school, then college. Hopefully medical school," Will said.

"Please, let's get him through elementary school first," JJ said with a smile. "Oh look, Lily's up next."

"Lily Reid," the teacher announced. Spencer couldn't help but break out into a big grin. He watched as his daughter walked across the stage and received her certificate proudly. He hoped that one day Lily would follow in his footsteps and go on to receive many more degrees. But for right now, kindergarten was a pretty good place to start.

The teacher continued to name the rest of the kids. When every child got their certificate, Mrs. Lane went on to say a few words before class was dismissed for the final time.

"I have to say Spence, I never thought that this day would come. I didn't imagine that we would both have kids graduating kindergarten together. Good friends nonetheless," JJ said. "I'm so glad you found each other. I've noticed this change in you, a really good one. I always knew you would be a great father."

"I'm so lucky," he said back.

"Oh, look at those two sweet babies," Penelope gushed. "There so cute at this age. Or any age really." She turned to Derek. "Do you think there is a baby Morgan in the future?"

"I've thought about it," Derek answered honestly. "But not for some time."

"…and with that, I present to you, the graduating kindergarten class of 2014," Mrs. Lane announced. Everyone in the audience stood up and applauded the kids for their accomplishment.

Lily ran over to Spencer and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Look what I got!" She waved her certificate around. "Can we put it next to your awards when we get home?"

"Of course we can," Spencer said. "But first we're going to Aunt JJ's house to celebrate. Uncle Will made Henry's favorite dinner to have tonight."

Lily went up to Derek and Penelope and gave them hugs as well. "Thank you for coming tonight."

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world baby girl," Derek said, causing Penelope to push him playfully on the arm at his use of her nickname on someone else.

"Let me get a picture of you two," Penelope said, grabbing her phone out of her sequined purse. "You two are just darling."

Henry and Lily thanked their Mrs. Lane for her teaching, and then they were ready to go home and start their summer break.

XxXxXx

JJ and Will's house smelled wonderful upon entering. Different Cajun and southern spices filled the air. "Henry is a big fan of Will's New Orleans style chicken and rice," JJ said. "It's a staple in our household."

"By the way it smells, I'll be a big fan too," Derek said. Growing up in Chicago, he never had the chance to try any authentic Cajun cooking before, so he was excited to try something new.

"Yes, everything smells delicious Will," Penelope said, elbowing JJ. "He cooks, he cleans, he's a great dad, and he's a badass police officer. You've got it all."

"Yes I do." JJ smiled lovingly at Will.

The table was already set for the seven of them, and Will had put the food in the Crock Pot to simmer while they were at the graduation ceremony, so that the meal would be ready for when they got back.

After the meal, Derek and Spencer stood up and collected all the dirty dishes from the dining table and helped Will load up the dishwasher, while the ladies prepared coffee and cookies for after. Once the kitchen was cleaned and the two little ones ran up to Henry's room to play, Spencer felt that this was a good a time as any to make an important announcement.

"Before we start with our coffee, I have something to say," Spencer started. "I have thought about this a lot, and I would like to make you all the godparents of Lily, if you don't mind. I just couldn't choose between JJ or Penelope for the godmother, and I felt the same about Will and Derek. I know that if anything ever happens to me, Lily will be left with a good family."

"Will and I are happy to accept your offer," JJ said, standing up and giving Spencer a hug. "Thank you for choosing us."

"Of course I'll be her godfather," Derek said, smiling happily.

"You know I'm glad to be Lily's godmother, but we're not going to let anything happen to you," Penelope said. "That little girl needs you."

"I know that in our line of work, things can get a little unpredictable, and I want to prepared," Spencer said. "She needs a good family."

"And we'll be her family," Penelope said, placing her hand on top of his. A sudden realization dawned on her. "Wait, does being Lily's godmother an excuse to buy her more clothes?" she asked.

Spencer shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "I would say no, but you probably won't listen to me anyways."

"That's right boy wonder," she replied, lightening the mood. "I just can't help myself when I see those pretty, little girl clothes."

"Thank you so much guys. It really means a lot to know that Lily has people who care about her," Spencer said. "When I first joined the bureau, I never expected to meet people whom I've grown to love. I couldn't thank you enough for all of your friendship over the years."


	19. A Lucky Man

**A/N: I've decided to incorporate Spencer's injury into my story, but I'm changing the dialogue and scene a bit so it's not exactly like the episode. I hope you like it.**

JJ paced back and forth in the tiny hospital waiting room. The furniture was cold and cheap and the smell of antiseptic weighed heavy in the air. She hated being in the hospital. More bad things than good happen in hospitals. She knew her team needed her back at the precinct so she could help them solve this case, but she needed a moment alone. JJ was just as eager to wrap this case up and get out of here, but she felt compelled to stay here and wait for any possible news. If she had been in this position, she knew Spence would stay in the waiting room for her. She needed a quiet moment to herself, where she could process the events of tonight.

She just as easily could have been the one that got shot tonight. If it wasn't for Morgan's fatal shot, the unsub could have killed more people. Her best friend was in surgery because of him, and she wasn't sure if he was going to make it. What would Lily do if he didn't make it?

She whipped out her cellphone and made a quick phone call. "Will? This case is a bad one," She stopped and looked behind her shoulder to make sure that no one was watching her. The team still wasn't sure who was behind this. "I can't talk about it right now."

"Are you safe?" Will asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm safe, but Morgan was injured and Spence was hurt badly. He got shot in the neck. He's in surgery now, and I'm not sure if he will pull through." She felt her eyes well up with tears, but she blinked them back.

"Oh my God," Will groaned. "Can I do anything to help?"

"Please, get Lily and bring her over by our house tonight. She's at a neighbor's apartment across from Spence's apartment. If he…doesn't make it tonight, she needs to be with her family. Don't tell her anything about Spencer yet. If anything bad happens, I want to be the one to tell her. I'll call you the second we find out anything about his condition, good or bad."

"Of course Jennifer, anything. Take care of yourself and call me when you're on your way home," Will said. "I love you."

"Thanks. l love you too." JJ hung up the phone and slid it into her pocket.

Blake came into the waiting room and took the seat opposite of JJ. "Any news?" She asked.

"No, but Morgan's okay and Garcia is on her way."

"It should have been me," Blake said.

"It could have me, or Morgan, or any of us," JJ said.

"No, I was trying to help the first officer who got shot and I put myself in the line of fire. Reid pushed me out of the way." Blake shook her head in regret. "I can't help but feel like he wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for me. That poor little girl already lost her biological parents. If he doesn't make it, it will be my fault."

"He's going to make it. I have to keep telling myself that," JJ interrupted. "He has to. I've known Spence for a long time, and this is the happiest he has ever been. He's always wanted kids of his own, and he's such a dedicated godparent to Henry. You know he told me that he wants more kids?"

Blake smiled. "Any kids of Spencer Reid would be the luckiest in the world."

Penelope walked in on the two agents. "How's our boy wonder?"

"Still in surgery," JJ said, standing up to hug her bubbly friend.

"I'm going to see Morgan," Penelope announced.

"I think I'll stay here for a few minutes," Blake said. "Maybe wait for the surgeon to tell us something."

"I'll go with Garcia," JJ said, turning to Blake. "Please tell me the second you hear any news."

"Of course."

XxXxXx

"Ok Lily," Will said, pulling a sheet over the couch. "Your bed is all made up."

"Thank you Mr. Will," she said.

"Henry will be on the other couch, and my bedroom is down the hall. If you need anything come get me," Will said.

"My Dad calls me before I go to bed," Lily said. "Why hasn't he called me yet?"

Will hesitated. "Miss JJ called me and said they are very busy today."

"Did he forget about me?" Lily asked.

"No, no, of course not," Will said. "I'm sure he'll call tomorrow. Get some rest."

XxXxXx

"Friends of Spencer Reid?" The surgeon announced.

Blake stood up immediately. "Yes, that's me."

"Your friend is out of surgery and resting. He managed to make a full recovery. He's a very lucky man. If the bullet had hit just a millimeter over, he would not have made it."

Blake let out the breath she had been holding in. "Thank you doctor. When can I see him?"

"He's resting in room C7 on the surgical wing. He might not wake up for a few more hours, but you can sit with him."

Blake whipped out her phone and called JJ to tell her the good news, while she walked over to Derek's room. She knocked on the door to find Derek dressed in his regular clothes.

"Reid is going to be fine. He's in recovery right now." Blake said.

"Oh thank God," Penelope said. "We couldn't have lost Reid."

"How's the arm?" Blake asked to Derek.

"I've had worse," He answered. "I'm going back to the precinct. Are you staying here with Reid?"

"For a few minutes," Blake said. "I know you guys need me back."

"I'll be here with Reid the entire time," Penelope said. "Call me if you need anything, and please stay safe out there."

Derek left, leaving the two women to go to Spencer's hospital room. Blake had never seen him look so pale before. His skin and lips were an eerie grey color that reminded Blake of the way her son looked before he died. The difference was that Spencer's color would improve, whereas her son's would never.

Penelope took Spencer's hand in hers. "We're here for you. Alex and I are here. The rest of the team is out kicking butt and finding the guys who are behind this. You need to rest."

His eyelids fluttered a little. "Is Lily okay?" he mumbled.

"She's fine, Spencer," Penelope assured him. "JJ had Will pick her up, and she is having a sleepover with Henry. She's safe with her family. But you need to get your beauty sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thank you," he murmured, before going back to sleep.


	20. Reunited At Last

Spencer winced as he settled down onto the couch of the BAU jet. He turned his head too fast and made his neck ache. His team was exhausted after that case, especially Penelope. She sat in the seat next to the window as she took her knitting project out of her bedazzled tote bag and began to knit. In a way, Spencer felt guilty for making her shoot his weapon. She didn't like firearms to begin with, so Spencer knew how much this took out of her to fire his gun. He knew that Penelope had a difficult time with looking at the images of the unsub's victims, and kept little statues and fun things around her office to distract her from the ugliness on her screens. She was the most sensitive out of the team, and this would affect her for some time. He would be forever grateful to her for saving him. He would have been killed if it wasn't for her.

JJ took a seat next to Spencer and handed him a cup of coffee. "I just spoke with Will. He said that Lily is fine and she and Henry are having fun together. She just really misses you and keeps asking when we're coming home."

"I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"Taking in Lily. You and Will have gone above and beyond for her the past few days. I can't thank you enough for showing her so much kindness. I'm all she has, so it's nice to know that she has family in the BAU."

"Spence, you don't have to thank us. You are such a devoted godparent to Henry, and I appreciate that. If something happened to you, I wanted Lily to be with her family. Neither Will nor I have told her about your injury. We thought it would be best if you handled it."

"I talked with her a little bit when I woke up from surgery, but I haven't told her either. I don't want her to worry."

JJ patted his knee. "Get some rest. Blake will take you home, and I'll drop Lily off after."

XxXxXx

Spencer pulled out his cell phone and dialed Will's number. He wanted to warn Lily of his injury before she saw him, so it wouldn't surprise her.

"Will? Hi, it's Spencer Reid. Could I please talk with Lily?"

"Sure, she and Henry have been playing Legos all day, and they're just winding down now," Will said. "She'll be tired by the time she gets home."

"Oh, and uh Will, I wanted to thank you for watching over Lily for me. It was such a nice gesture."

"Of course," Will said. "Henry loved having her over, but she can't wait to see you."

Spencer heard the sounds of shuffling on the other line before the phone was handed to Lily. "Daddy?"

"Hi Lily, it's me. I'm on my way home. Miss JJ is on her way to her house to pick you up, and then she'll drop you off here."

"Okay, but why aren't you picking me up? I really want to see you," Lily countered. "You've been gone so long."

"Well, that's why I'm calling you. Miss Blake is driving me home because I was hurt. I don't want you to be surprised when you see me, but I have a bandage around my neck."

"You hurt yourself? I told you to be careful!" She said. Spencer could tell in her voice that she was about to cry.

"I'm okay. I'm feeling better already. I just didn't want to scare you when you saw me."

"Okay," she mumbled.

"Be nice to Miss JJ and thank Mr. Will for letting you sleep over. I'll see you soon," Spencer said.

"Bye." She hung up the phone.

XxXxXx

JJ arrived with Lily a few minutes after Blake had left. Lily ran up the stairs to their apartment and knocked on their door.

When he answered, she enveloped him in a tight hug. "I've missed you so much," she said. "I don't want you to be hurt."

Spencer dropped down to his knees as he embraced his daughter in a tight hug. "Lily, I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't mean to be gone so long."

"You're neck," she said, starting to cry. She gently placed her hand over the bandage. "How did you hurt yourself?"

"I was trying to protect my friend. I'm okay though. It looks worse than it feels. Please don't cry." Spencer tried to wipe away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. His neck really did hurt, but he didn't want to worry her any more than she already was.

"I don't want you doing your job anymore," she cried.

"I have to do my job. My team needs me," Spencer explained.

"You got hurt because of your job," she said. "I don't want to see you hurt anymore."

"I'm sorry," Spencer said. He had an IQ of 187 and was a certified genius, and all he could come up with were those two lame words. He had to say, she made a solid agreement. She had stopped crying, but was still visibly upset. "I'll be here with you tonight and all of tomorrow," Spencer said. "But Mr. Hotchner needs to meet with me Monday morning."

"No, no," Lily protested. "I want you to stay here with me."

"I'm not working for the whole day, he just needs to meet with me, and then I'll be back home with you. Go put your pajamas on, and I'll be in to read you a bedtime story."

Lily let go of Spencer reluctantly. "Thank you Miss JJ for driving me home," she said.

"It's no problem, sweetie. Can you do something for me? I need you to be good to your dad, okay? He's going to need to rest for a few days. Make sure he's resting and not pushing himself. Do you think you can help him with that?"

"Of course I can," Lily said.

"Have a goodnight you two," JJ said. "I'm going back home to my boys and some much needed sleep."

"Wait one minute," Spence said, grabbing JJ's arm. He waited until Lily was in her bedroom and out of earshot. "Blake is not coming back to the FBI."

"I had a feeling something was on her mind. She seemed off for the past few weeks, like something was bothering her," JJ said. "That's too bad. She was a strong asset to the team."

"You can never fool a profiler," Spencer said. "Who do you think Hotch will get to replace her?"

"I don't know, but I'm not jealous of Hotch. Just imagining all the paperwork he has to do gives me a headache."

Spencer smiled. "Go home to your family. You need rest too."

JJ said her goodbyes and left. Lily came out of her bedroom, dressed in her pajamas.

"Did you pick out a book for tonight?" Spencer asked.

"Yes, but I'm going to read it to you," Lily said. She climbed up on the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Come sit with me."

"Why are you reading me a story?" Spencer questioned.

"Because Miss JJ said that I need to take care of you, so come sit," she said adamantly.

Spencer gave in, and joined her on the couch.

"Here's a blanket, so you don't get cold," Lily said, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and the two of them with it.

"What's the story of the night?"

" _The Giving Tree,_ " Lily answered. "Now sit back, and relax while I read to you. You look tired."

Spencer chuckled slightly as he obeyed Lily's orders. She didn't need to do much persuading to get him to relax. He listened to the soft sounds of her voice until he felt his eyelids grow heavy. At some point, he heard Lily stop reading and put the book down. He felt an arm drape across his waist as she curled up next to his side. Spencer was too tired and too comfortable to think about moving.


	21. Break Time

Spencer knocked softly on Hotch's office door. "Sir, you wanted to meet with me?"

"Yes, come in," Hotch said, closing the case file that he was reading. "How is your neck?"

"The pain has decreased, and I'm gaining some of my energy back. Lily keeps me going," Spencer answered. "I'll have a superficial scar there, and I still can't move my neck too much."

"And how is Lily dealing with your injury?" Hotch asked. "Jack always gets very upset when I'm injured, and I can't imagine Lily being any different."

"When I saw her on Saturday night, she was distressed. She didn't like the idea of me being injured in the field. I have to change my bandages in the morning before she wakes up, so she won't see the scar. She has calmed down though, and has been taking good care of me. She has read me a bedtime story for the past two nights."

"Well, that's why I wanted to see you. I highly advise you taking some time off, at least two weeks. I don't believe that you are fit to be in the field, due to your injury," Hotch explained. "I spoke with Matt Cruz today about this, and he approved it. I can't have you in the field when you are physically not at your best."

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked. "That's a lot of time off."

"Enjoy it. You work hard, you deserve it. Spend some time with Lily. Isn't she on summer break?" Hotch said.

"Yes. She would love having me home with her on break. Our job takes up so much of our time that I feel like I don't spend enough time with her or give her the attention she deserves."

"I understand how you feel Reid," Hotch said. "Being a single parent is difficult, nonetheless, being a single parent in the FBI is even harder. Jack is on summer break too. He made a list of all the activities he wants to do over the break, and I'm trying my best to make sure that he crosses everything off."

"How do you do it?" Spencer commented. "Jack is so well adjusted, and involved in school and sports. How do you split your time between being a Dad and a federal agent? I'm trying my best, but I don't think I've mastered 'time splitting' quite yet."

"It's not easy, especially given the severity of our job, but when I'm at home, I try to give Jack my full attention. I don't look at any case files, or do any paperwork when he's with me. I even try not to return emails or phone calls, unless they are vital. That way he knows that he has my undivided attention. I like to think that it makes up for the time that I spend away from him. I'm lucky that Jack is a good kid. He understands that I may not be able to attend every one of his soccer games, or go to his school performances. Can I offer some advice to you?"

When Spencer nodded, Hotch continued. "When you get home, have Lily make a list of all the things she wants to do over summer break. Cherish the time spent with her. She'll only be this age once. Try to accomplish as much as you can with her."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate the time off. But won't you guys need me?" Spencer questioned.

"If we need you, we will call. Besides, I don't think our team be taking on any new cases soon. Cruz is fielding the requests for our help and sending other teams out because we're a team member down, and the position needs to be filled as soon as possible," Hotch explained. "I assume you heard about Alex Blake's resignation?"

Spencer nodded. "She told me the night I got home. That's unfortunate. She was a good team member and agent. "

"She was. Her position won't be easy to fill, given her experience in the bureau. I have a lot of paperwork to do since she resigned. I still have to find a new member to take her spot, and there are many qualified applicants to sort through," Hotch said. "Please keep me informed on the status of your injury. I'll need medical clearance from a doctor before I can allow you back in the field. And this time, I'll need a medical doctor's clearance, not your opinion of when you think you can come back."

"Definitely sir," Spencer smiled slightly, when Hotch mentioned seeing a medical professional. When he got shot in the knee, he tried to get away with using his opinion as medical clearance, but Hotch didn't accept it. "I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I won't take up any more of your time, as I'm sure you have a lot to do. Thank you for the time off and the advice, sir. Both Lily and I appreciate it."

"Of course. Make sure to enjoy your time off. Goodbye Reid."

XxXxXx

After Spencer had gotten home and thanked Mrs. Johnson for watching Lily, he noticed that she was upset.

"Are you going to be going back to work now?" Lily asked.

"Actually, it's the opposite. I have some news that I think you will like," Spencer said.

"What is it?"

"When I talked with Mr. Hotchner today, he gave me some time off of work because my neck still hurts me. So we have some time that we can spend together."

"Really?" Lily said, her eyes growing wide. "How much time?"

"At least two weeks," Spencer clarified. "I'm all yours. We can do whatever you want to. It's your spring break."

Lily ran and hugged him around the waist. "I'm so excited! There's so much that I want to do with you."

"I have an idea for you," Spencer said, taking Hotch's advice. "Make a list of all the fun things you want to do, and we'll try to do all of them."

"I'm not sure where to start," she said, rifling through the drawers to find a pad of paper and a pen. "I have so many fun things that I want to do this summer."

"Then you better get started," Spencer said with a smile.

 **A/N: So….what kind of things do you guys want to see on Lily's list? Let me know what you think. Thank you!**


End file.
